merdeka
See also: Merdeka
Indonesian
Etymology
From Malay merdeka, from Classical Malay مرديكا (mĕrdeka), from Sanskrit महर्द्धिक (maharddhika, “prosperous”). Cognate of Javanese ꦩꦂꦢꦶꦏ (mardika), Buginese ᨆᨑᨙᨉᨀ (maradeka), Tagalog maharlika. Doublet of mahardika.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [mərˈdɛka]
- Rhymes: -ka, -a
- Hyphenation: mêrdèka
Adjective
mêrdèka
- free from oppression (e.g. slavery)
- (politics) free from colonialism, annexation, military occupation, etc.; liberated; independent
- Indonesia sudah dinyatakan merdeka sejak 17 Agustus 1945. ― Indonesia has been declared to be independent since 17 August 1945.
- (rare) free from an obligation, especially a prison sentence
- (rare) self-sufficient; independent; not dependent on others
Derived terms
- kemerdekaan
- memerdekakan
- pemerdeka
- pemerdekaan
- semerdeka-merdekanya
See also
- mandiri (“self-sufficient”)
Further reading
- “merdeka” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Language Development and Fostering Agency — Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic Indonesia, 2016.
Malay
FWOTD – 31 August 2020
Alternative forms
- merdeheka
Etymology
Elision of merdeheka from Sanskrit महर्द्धिक (maharddhika, “prosperous”), first attested in the Kota Kapur inscription, 686 CE, as Old Malay [script needed] (maharddhika), Cognate of Buginese ᨆᨑᨙᨉᨀ, Tagalog maharlika.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /mərdeka/
- Rhymes: -eka, -ka, -a
- (Johor-Riau) IPA(key): [mə(r)de̞kä]
- Note: Unlike in many other words that end with an /a/, the final /a/ in this word in Johor-Riau Malay does not get reduced to a schwa [ə].
Adjective
merdeka (Jawi spelling مرديک)
- free; the state of being liberated
- 2005, A. Samad Said, A. Samad Said: Sebuah antologi puisi yang menghimpunkan karya-karya selama setengah abad [A. Samad Said: An anthology of poems assembled from works spanning half a century], Utusan Publications, Langsir Merdeka (Poem No. 119), page 394:
- Setiap fajar begitu dihayati ufuk merdeka; kebahagiaan yang wajib kita membinanya.
- Every hue of dawn is much appreciated by the horizon of freedom; happiness that is compulsory for all of us to build.
- Synonyms: bebas, بباس
- Antonyms: terkurung, ترکوروڠ
-
- (of a polity) independent (not ruled by others)
- 1957 August 31, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Pemasyhuran Kemerdekaan Tanah Melayu [Malayan Declaration of Independence]:
- بهاواسڽ كران تله تيباله ماسڽ باڬي اومت ڤرسكوتوان تانه ملايو اين منچاڤأي تارف سواتو بڠسا يڠ مرديك لاڬي بردولت سام ستيمڤل كدودوكنڽ دڠن سڬالا بڠسا سلوروه دنيا
- (Bahawasanya kerana telah tibalah masanya bagi umat Persekutuan Tanah Melayu ini mencapai taraf suatu bangsa yang merdeka lagi berdaulat sama setimpal kedudukannya dengan segala bangsa seluruh dunia.)
- Whereas the time has now arrived when the people of the Persekutuan Tanah Melayu will assume the status of a free independent and sovereign nation among nations of the World.
- 2018 February 16, Normazlina M.D, “Simbol negara merdeka [Symbol of an independent nation]”, in Media Permata, archived from the original on 18 August 2019, retrieved 18 August 2019:
- Bendera negara bukan hanya sekadar sehelai kain yang mempunyai warna atau motif tertentu bahkan ia adalah simbol identiti sesebuah negara yang merdeka lagi berdaulat.
- The national flag is not just a piece of cloth that has a certain color or motif. In fact, it is a symbol of the identity of a nation that is independent and sovereign.
-
Derived terms
Affixed terms and other derivations
Regular affixed derivations:
- kemerdekaan (“the state of independence; freedom”) [resemblance / passive] (ke-an)
- pemerdeka (“liberator”) [passive / name of profession] (pe-)
- pemerdekaan [passive / name of profession + resultative / locative / collective / variety / verbal noun / fruit] (pe- + -an)
- memerdekakan (“to grant independence”) [agent focus + causative benefactive] (meN- + -kan)
Irregular affixed derivations, other derivations and compound words:
- akhbar merdeka (“news that is not affiliated with any political party”)
- Hari Merdeka (“Independence Day”)
- merdeka ayam (“free to do anything as desired; absolute freedom”)
Descendants
- Indonesian: mêrdèka
- → English: Merdeka
References
- Kosakata Bahasa Sanskerta dalam Bahasa Melayu Masa Kini, Jakarta, Indonesia: Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa. Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Republik Indonesia, 1994, →ISBN, page 251
- Wilkinson, Richard James (1932), “mĕrdĕheka”, in A Malay-English dictionary (romanised), volume II, Mytilene, Greece: Salavopoulos & Kinderlis, page 134
Further reading
- “merdeka” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.
- "merdeka" in Kamus Dewan, Fourth Edition, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, →ISBN, 2005.