gembala

Indonesian

Etymology

From Malay gembala, possible used infix - +‎ --em-, possibly through a Middle Indo-Aryan language, ultimately from Sanskrit गोपाल (gopāla, “cowherd, earth-protector”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɡəmˈbala]
• Hyphenation: gêm‧ba‧la

Noun

gêmbala (plural gembala-gembala)

1. herder, one who herds.
2. (figurative, Christianity) saviour, shepherd

Affixed terms

• menggembalakan
• penggembala
• penggembalaan

Further reading

• “gembala” 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.

Malay

Etymology

From Sanskrit गोपाल (gopāla, “cowherd, earth-protector”), possibly through a Middle Indo-Aryan language.

Noun

gembala (Jawi spelling ݢمبالا, plural gembala-gembala, informal 1st possessive gembalaku, 2nd possessive gembalamu, 3rd possessive gembalanya)

1. herder

Further reading

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