samak

Malay

Etymology

From (Western) Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *samak, Macaranga tanarius. Tanning sense comes from the tannins produced in its bark for such activities.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /samaʔ/
• Rhymes: -maʔ, -aʔ

Noun

samak (Jawi spelling سامق, plural samak-samak, informal 1st possessive samakku, 2nd possessive samakmu, 3rd possessive samaknya)

1. Several trees presently or formerly known under the genus Eugenia or not with similar tannin properties

   samak ubar: Eugenia palembanica

   samak pulut: Eugenia caudata

2. tanning

Verb

samak (Jawi spelling سامق)

1. to tan leather

References

• Wilkinson, Richard James (1932) “samak”, in A Malay-English dictionary (romanised), volume II, Mytilene, Greece: Salavopoulos & Kinderlis, page 374

Further reading

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

Mizo

Etymology

Compound of sa (“animal”) +‎ mak (“strange”)

Noun

samak

1. rhinoceros