ibu negara

Indonesian

Etymology

ibu (“madam”) +‎ negara (“country”)

Noun

ibu negara (uncountable)

1. First Lady: The wife of the chief executive of a nation; especially the wife of the President of a country; or a woman (e.g. a relative) who takes on similar public duties, as when the chief executive is unmarried.

Usage notes

The word is part of false friends between Standard Malay and Indonesian due to shared etymology. The Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore usage can be seen in Malay ibu negara.

Further reading

• “ibu negara” 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

ibu (“the greatest or most significant”) +‎ negara (“country”)

Noun

ibu negara (Jawi spelling ايبو نݢارا, informal 1st possessive ibu negaraku, 2nd possessive ibu negaramu, 3rd possessive ibu negaranya)

1. capital city.

   Synonym: ibu kota (Indonesian)

   Kuala Lumpur adalah ibu negara Malaysia.

   Kuala Lumpur is the capital city of Malaysia.

Usage notes

The word is part of false friends between Standard Malay and Indonesian due to shared etymology. The Indonesian usage can be seen in Indonesian ibu negara.

Further reading

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