mamak
See also: mamák
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Malay mamak.
Noun
mamak (plural mamaks)
- (Malaysia, Singapore) A roadside stall selling Muslim Tamil or Malay cuisine; by extension, a restaurant that sells similar foods.[1]
- 2022 December 29, Jocelyn Tan, “A guide to the best Indian rojak stalls in Singapore”, in Lifestyle Asia:
- To the untrained eye, any dish that’s labelled ‘rojak’ looks like a hot mess. However, you can’t make your way to Singapore without having a taste of authentic Mamak Rojak [...]
-
- (Malaysia, Singapore) A person who owns or works in such an establishment
- (Malaysia, Singapore) A Tamil Muslim
Derived terms
- mamak stall
References
- Oxford Dictionaries
Malay
Etymology
Several etymologies have been proposed:
- Borrowed from Tamil மாமா (māmā). Compare Telugu మామ (māma).
- Borrowed from Sanskrit मामा (māmā). Compare Hindi मामा (māmā), Marathi मामा (māmā).
- Inherited from Proto-Malayic *mama(ʔ), from Proto-Austronesian *amax. Compare Temuan mamak, Kerinci mamak, Kubu mamok, Tagalog mama.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈmamaʔ/
- Rhymes: -amak, -mak, -ak
Noun
mamak (Jawi spelling مامق, plural mamak-mamak, informal 1st possessive mamakku, 2nd possessive mamakmu, 3rd possessive mamaknya)
- a maternal uncle or elder brother; the male head of a household
- (slang) a Tamil Muslim
- a roadside stall or restaurant that sells Muslim Tamil or Malay cuisine
Synonyms
- (maternal uncle): pakcik
Descendants
- → Chinese:
- Cantonese: 嘛嘛 (maa3 maa3)
- Mandarin: 嘛嘛 (mama)
- → English: mamak
- Indonesian: mamak
References
- “mamak”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
- "mamak" in Kamus Dewan, Fourth Edition, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, →ISBN, 2005.
- “mamak” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.
Tagalog
Noun
mamák
- rice straw
Synonyms
- dayami
- ginikan
- yaot