abah

Indonesian

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈabah/ [ˈa.bah]
• Rhymes: -abah
• Syllabification: a‧bah

Etymology 1

Inherited from Malay abah (“direction”). Doublet of aba.

Noun

abah (plural abah-abah)

1. (chiefly obsolete) direction

   Synonym: tujuan

2. Alternative form of abah-abah

Derived terms

• abah-abah
• mengabahkan

Etymology 2

Inherited from Malay abah.

Noun

abah (plural abah-abah)

1. (dialectal) Synonym of ayah (“father”)

Further reading

• “abah” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Javanese

Romanization

abah

1. Romanization of ꦲꦧꦃ

Malay

Alternative forms

• aba, bah

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /abah/
• Rhymes: -abah

Etymology 1

From Proto-Malayic *abah, an alternative form of *aba.

Noun

abah (Jawi spelling ابه, plural abah-abah, informal 1st possessive abahku, 2nd possessive abahmu, 3rd possessive abahnya)

1. father (male parent)

   Synonyms: aba, ayah, bapa, rama

2. (slang, informal) a popular leader.
3. (slang, Malaysia, informal, politics) Former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.
   • 2021, Harakah Daily[1]

     Situasi itu dapat dilihat apabila netizen dan orang ramai meluahkan perasaan mahu Abah (perdana menteri) terus kekal menerajui pentadbiran negara. Kondisi itu dapat dilihat sejak semalam. (This situation can be seen when netizens and the public express the feeling that they want Abah (the prime minister) should continue leading the country's administration. The condition can be seen since yesterday.)

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Descendants

• → Indonesian: abah

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

abah (plural abah-abah, informal 1st possessive abahku, 2nd possessive abahmu, 3rd possessive abahnya)

1. direction

   Synonyms: arah, tuju

Derived terms

• mengabah
• mengabahkan

Descendants

• → Indonesian: abah

Further reading

• “abah” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

Old Javanese

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Root

abah

1. harness

Descendants

• Javanese: ꦲꦧꦃ (abah)
  • → Indonesian: abah

Further reading

• "abah" in P.J. Zoetmulder with the collaboration of S.O. Robson, Old Javanese-English Dictionary. 's-Gravenhage: M. Nijhoff, 1982.

Sundanese

Etymology

Perhaps from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *aba, from Proto-Austronesian *aba.

Noun

abah (Sundanese script ᮃᮘᮂ)

1. father (male parent)

Descendants

• → Javanese: ꦲꦧꦃ (abah)