ibu negara
Indonesian
Etymology
ibu (“madam”) + negara (“country”)
Noun
ibu negara (first-person possessive ibu negaraku, second-person possessive ibu negaramu, third-person possessive ibu negaranya)
- 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: Language Development and Fostering Agency — Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic Indonesia, 2016.
Malay
Etymology
ibu (“the greatest or most significant”) + negara (“country”)
Noun
ibu negara (informal 1st possessive ibu negaraku, 2nd possessive ibu negaramu, 3rd possessive ibu negaranya)
- capital city.
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.