Origin of words, names of places and other objects

ORIGINS (of words, names of places and objects)

The following items have been collected since 1968 from various written and oral sources, too
numerous to individually name here. I have always been fascinated by the origins of words and
names of places. Some of these items appeared in my column in Shell Malaysia's "Berita Shell"
before my early retirement from that organisation in 1997.
Being a Malaysian and an Indonesian>English<>Malay translator, most of the place names
appearing here, with a few exceptions, are Malaysian and where relevant, translations into English
are given. Feel free to pass any feedback or queries about the contents here to me, Abd Latiff Bidin.
Terima kasih (that's Malay for "Thank you") for taking the time to stop, browse and read here.

2nd List
This is under construction and shall be posted soon

Alor Star
This is the capital of the northern state of Kedah, the birth state of Malaysia's current Prime
Minister, Asia's longest serving Head of State (19 years). "Alor" or more correctly, "alur" is
Malay for a groove, furrow or main stream of a channel. In Tamil "alur" means drain. "Star"
or "setar" is a plant with small, sour fruit (Bouea macrophylla) also known as either "kundang"
or "remia" in Malay. The uniqueness of these fruits is that when you split the seed, each cotyledon
is purple in color. This color is named either "ungu" or "biru biji buah kundang" the latter
translated as "blue as the color of the kundang seeds".

Bankrupt
This word was coined from the Italian word "banca" that means bench and the Latin root word
"rupt" that signifies broken. In mediaeval Venice, Italy, bankers and money-lenders conducted
their financial business sitting in the market-place, each at his own wooden bench which was both
desk and counter. Strict rules were observed. Any banker failing to settle his debt within the
appointed time was summarily expelled from the market. And to emphasise his shame, his
fellow-bankers would break his wooden bench..

Barn
It originated from two Anglo-Saxon words bere (barley) and aern (place). So barn was originally
a place for barley.

Batu Kurau, Bukit Merah & Kuala Gula.
These are three places in Perak (silver in English), Malaysia's main tin-mining state. The history of
these three places is linked according to a legend and is known to only a few, still surviving old folks.
Batu Kurauis now famous nationwide for its 1st class durians, the fruits many westerners abhor just
from listening or reading stories about them - but believe me, I have some expatriate friends who now
do not mind squatting by the roadside to savour its hevenly taste. If you travel by rail to Butterworth
from Taiping or stations in the south, you cannot help admiring the beautiful lake as the train crosses
the railway bridge at Bukit Merah. Kuala Gula is an internationally known bird sanctuary where the
Night Herons (Burung Kuak) and two types of storks (Burung Bangau), namely Milky Stork and
Lesser Adjutant Stork can be found in large numbers.

Batu Kurau is named after the saltwater fish Ikan Kurau (Pohynemus heptadactylus), turned to stone
during the bersanding ceremony of a commoner and a Puteri Bunian, a princess of the little people.
Legend says that whilst the bride had just succumbed to a fainting spell, Sang Kelembai, the ogre
reputed to turn into stone any living thing in his line of sight, passed by. All present, except the bride,
completely turned to stone. The grief-stricken bride awakened and exchanged the remnants of her life
with the Ikan Kurau in the golden fishbowl,a gift from a fairy princess.

She scooped out the fish, placed a piece of Gula Kabung (sugar made from the juice obtained from
the blossom of the coconut tree) in its mouth and threw it into the spring behind the pelamin (dais).
The fish, heavy with roe, swam/floated downriver whilst its upper half was turning once more into stone,
until it reached the site of the present Tasik Bukit Merah, the river mouth then. With a final, supreme
effort, it expelled all its roe (ensuring the continued availability of our famed Kurau fish-head curry
till now). In the process, its scales were all covered with its blood and were ejected, covering the
surrounding hill and trees red, hence Bukit Merah or "Red Hill". The dead fish was carried by the
tides southwards till it got stuck in the reeds at an estuary which is now Kuala Gula. Legend also said
that the fairies picked the dead fish and buried it with the sugar ("gula") in its mouth on a small atoll
which became the island, Pulau Gula.

Coffee
Coffee is said to be discovered by Arab slavers in the Kaffa region of Ethiopia. They called it qahwa.
The beverage spread to countries under Arabian influence. Soon it was called qahwe by the Turks.
Later when it reached Italy it became caffe. Finally out of the English melting pot came coffee.

Decoy & Denak
A favourite word of my late, multi-lingual stepfather (he spoke 4 Chinese dialects, Tamil, Urdu, Thai
and Dutch besides Malay and English), decoy creates many images in one's mind. It leads or lures you
to picture a captivating bait (which would of course be acting coy) causing the unwary to be entrapped
or enmeshed in unsavoury schemes.

This word started off as the Latin cavea meaning cage and then became the Dutch word kooi also
meaning cage, but specifically is applied to a pond surrounded with nets into which wildfowl were
lured for capture. The word, together with the Dutch definite article de was then absorbed into
English. Hence de kooi became decoy.

In Malay, denak also means decoy i.e. a bird or animal used as bait to trap other birds or animals.
My Malay Guru says that denak originated from the Negri Sembilan Minang words den (I) hendak
(usually shortened to nak) and this phrase means "I want, crave or desire". Actually one needs only
to relate both words viz decoy and denak to realise that when one needs something very badly, one
could be in a very poor negotiating position, could be gullible enough to become easy prey to those
ever waiting to entrap (with of course "de" coy lure).

English from Malay
Besides the infamous Amok (sometimes spelt as amuck), which means to rush about in a frenzy to kill,
English also adapted and absorbed two other Malay words with logistical connotations. Compound that
means enclosure or an enclosed space with one or a group of buildings within it comes from "kampong",
Malay for village. The other word is go-down, the commercial warehouse made famous by the East India
Company, which is derived from the Malay "gudang". Etymologists are however divided on gudang
originating from the Telegu word gidangi.

Euphemism
From the Greek words eu (well) and phemi (speak), this word collectively includes all the nice words
and/or phrases you use to speak well of or replace the unpleasant/fearful things like death and dying.
People do not say "when I die" or "after I am dead", but say "if anything happens to me". People are
seldom referred to as dead but "the late so-and-so", the "deceased" or "have passed away". They do
not get killed in battle but "fell", not "drowned" but "lost" at sea. Even the cemetery comes from the
Greek koimeterion meaning a sleeping place. So not surprisingly, the undertaker is now mortician and
the hearse is an ambulance. Likewise tourist class and underpriced appeals more than third class and
cheap. And saloon has become cafe/tavern/cocktail lounge and killed or assassinated is gently replaced
with liquidated. Also, those out of work are at liberty or on a leave of absence and body odour and bad
breath is now of high fashion as B.O. and halitosis.

Getting the cold shoulder
This expression that means to be snubbed or rebuffed originally was blatantly and literally done. It was
a regular French custom during the Middle Ages for guests who tended to overstay their welcome or
abuse the hospitality of their hosts to be served with a cold shoulder of, often a half-eaten left-over,
mutton or beef. Other guests would still be served the usual hot meat, fish or game dishes. It was usual
for guests being given the squalid treatment to pack and depart soon after the "special" (mis)treat(ment).

Glamour
Believe it or not, this charming, alluring word originated from the dull, unglamourous word grammar.
In the old days, priests kept secret the art of reading and writing i.e. the uses of grammar, so much so
the learned were looked upon with superstitious awe. Peasants thought that the tricky knowledge was
related to the dark arts. Typically, as years went by, the "r" in the magical, mysterious word was mutated
to "l". So glamour that means "magical, attractiveness or a special quality of charm and beauty" was
given birth to.

January
The first month of the new year in the Gregorian calendar (the old Roman calendar begins with March),
is when we look backwards at the previous year to see our accomplishments or learn from our failures
with new hindsight. We also start the new year by looking ahead to see where we are heading and plan
for success. This month is therefore named in honour of the mythological god, Janus, the guardian of
portals and patron of beginnings and endings, who is always depicted as having two faces, one facing
the front and the other facing the back.

Jelutong, the perfect timber tree.
The Jelutung (Dyera costulata) tree is appreciated worldwide and is in great demand for the picture
frames and pencils industry. The tree stands tall, straight, almost perfectly cylindrical and without
buttresses. According to Orang Asli (literally "Original Man" but figuratively, the Aborigines of
Peninsular Malaysia) folk tales, the Jelutung and the Neram (Dipterocarpus oblongifolius) tree were
once forest creatures and great rivals always out to best each others' athletic ability. So a final contest
was held to settle the issue as to who was the better. The test was jumping over the widest part of the
Pahang River.

On the big day, with all the forest creatures lining the banks, the Jelutung sailed with ease over the
river but landed in soft mud where it was buried, buttresses all below ground. The Neram, hesitated
at the last minute and since then have been leaning precariously over the waters. It used to form giant
arches across rivers but has lost out to human settlements along rivers. So the Jelutung won, and
with proper conservation would continue to be our proud heritage whilst continuing to gain entry to
all schools and offices as pencils. The Neram lost and disappeared rapidly. If you are lucky, the next
time we visit Taman Negara, our National Park, you may still be able to see it along certain river banks.

Kathmandu
This city at the roof of the world got its name from the Nepali word Kasthamandap, which means
wooden house. It is believed that in mediaeval times, a fine wooden house with four huge doors directly
facing towards the four cardinal points was built at the crossroads of the great trade routes east and west,
north and south. The house which was said to always offer peace, reast and sanctuary to all travellers,
was built from wood that came from a celestial tree that was a gift from a God.

Kuala Kangsar
In 1742, Sultan Muzaffar Shah III, decided to move his administrative capital from Berahman Indera
(now Bota Kanan) to a site across the Perak River opposite Sayong. He asked for the name of the place
but no one could tell him. During a survey of the district, he found that in the area 99 [i.e. in Malay,
kurang satu seratus i.e. one short of a hundred] tributaries joined the great Perak River. So he named the
location Kuala Kurangsa. Over time, Kurangsa was abbreviated to Kangsar and remained to this day.

Lubuk Mat Anjing
This lubuk (deep part of a river/sea) is in the Perak River a couple of hundred meters from the mouth of
the Kangsar River i.e. at Kuala Kangsar. My father-in-law, Raja Zainal Ariffin bin Raja Shoib, told me
that the 30th Sultan of Perak, the late Sultan Iskandar Shah who ruled between 1918-1938 was a keen
hunter. He had a number of hunting dogs left in the care of his trusted dog-keeper whose name was
Muhammad (Malays like to shorten this name to "Mat"). And since there were so many people named
"Mat", this person was nicknamed as "Mat Anjing", where anjing means dog. This Mat was a good
athlete and an excellent swimmer. Although most of the time he stayed on the Istana (palace) grounds,
this filial son never failed to visit his old and sick mother whose house was in Sayong, a village on the
opposite bank of the Perak River. Every evening, after he had locked up the dogs and left the keys with
the on-duty palace guard, Mat would swim across the fast flowing Perak River rather than board one of
those river-taxi sampans. One evening when he reached Sayong, he realised that he had not passed the
keys to the kennel to the palace guard on-duty. Quicly he swam back to Kuala Kangsar, rushed to the
Istana, handed the keys and dashed back to the river bank. He dived in and headed towards his mother's
house. But because of the multiple trips, his suffered severe attacks of cramps and drowned in the middle
of the lubuk that was later named after him.

Magazine
Originating from the Arabic word makhazin (plural for makhzan) which means storehouse (makhazin
became the French magasin and the Italian magazzino), every magazine is expected to be a storehouse
of information. Now a magazine, is a publication issued periodically, intended for a wide circle of readers
and typically containing articles, stories, news, pictures etc. And however specialized a magazine may be,
there is always a suggestion of miscellany about it.

In 1731, Gentleman's Magazine, the first English publication to use the word, was published. Oliver
Goldsmith observed: "It is the life and soul of a magazine never to be dull long". Now you know why
no matter how serious a publication is, you could still find sections named "In a lighter vein" or "Jest
for Laughs" or something in that tenor.

Mammal
In school we learnt that mammals are warm-blooded animals that give birth to their young.
Etymologically, mammal denotes an animal that suckles its young as the word is a derivativative of
mammalia from the latin mammalis which means 'of the breast'. In fact mamma means both breast
and mother. So those of you who were never breast-fed can claim that you are not a true mammal,
like this writer who claims that he is more reptilian than mammal - his girlfriends claim that he has
a wonderfully flexible, forked tongue.

Mbenzi
This is a materialistic Swahili word meaning a rich person. The plural is wabenzi, like watu is the plural
of mtu (persons & person). Mbenzi actually means a person who owns a Mercedes-Benz and therefore
a rich person.

Peach Melba
This famous sweet concoction of ice cream and slices of peach with a sauce of raspberry, red currant
jelly and sugar was invented by the famous French chef, Auguste Escoffier at London's Carlton Hotel.
It was to honour the operatic prima donna, Nellie Melba. Nellie Melba was the stage and concert name
of Australian soprano, Helen Porter Mitchell (later Mrs. Charles Armstrong). She adapted her
pseudonymous surname from the city where she was born, Melbourne.

Precocious
A child or young person who unusually shows early development of mind or body is described as
precocious. The word is from Latin that means "baked ahead of time". So when the child starts to
put on airs, you rightly call him/her precocious that also means "half-baked".

Quiz
A bet was laid by a Dublin theatre manager named Daly in 1780, that he could introduce a new word
into the English language within 24 hours. Those who wagered against him were pretty sure of their
money. But Daly arranged with his many friends and relatives and also paid an army of boys to chalk
or paint all over the city of Dublin during the night the 4 mystic and mysterious letters that offered a
lifeline to scrabble players everywhere: Q U I Z.

The next day everybody read, talked about and conjectured what on earth the word could mean.
So Daly won his bet. And the word passed into the language as one that proved to be a perfect
verbal expression of the sense of ???

Rather
It comes from the Old English word rathe meaning "ahead of other things". So if you would rather
play [the best 4-letter word ?] than work [the worst 4-letter word ?], you actually put play as more
important than work. And now you know why Dan Rather is ahead of so many.

Robot
Having the meaning "mechanical people constructed to perform menial tasks", this word first
appeared in English text in 1923. It comes from the Czech word , robota meaning forced labour
and drudgery. The word passed into German as robot and remained universally so. It is also a fact
that in certain organisations there are human robots/automatons who never apply discretion but
strictly follow 'commands'.

Slogan
This catchphrase that is either shouted or exhibited by someone campaigning for a cause or used in
advertising, was previously slogurn then slughorn. From the sound of the word you do not have to
know A.G. Swanson or see the movie, Braveheart to guess that it must be Scottish/Gaelic in origin.
The word actually comes from two Gaelic words, slaugh meaning host or army and ghairm meaning
a cry or shout. Put together it became a battle cry.

Sundaes
The sale of ice cream sodas was banned on Sundays in the strictly pious Methodist community of
Evanston, Illinois, USA during the 1890s. An enterprising confectioner circumvented the restriction
by selling soda-less ice cream with syrup. This drink soon became very popular and soon the locals
were asking for Sunday Sodas or just "Sundays". However, to please the local church elders who
objected to the dish being named after the Sabbath, its name was altered to Sundae, and it has
remained so till this day.

The Chinese, Mongolian and Tibetan race
According to Tibetan folklore, the three great races originated from one man. In the beginning,
there was but a single man on Earth. He had three sons. He died and the children after quarrelling
over his remains decided to cut his body into three pieces. Each son was to take a piece and go on
his separate way.

The ancestor of the Chinese took the head and arms. That is why the Chinese are versed in the arts
and are known for their intelligence and business acumen.

The second son took the lower half of the body. From him descended the Mongols and Tartars, who
are good at keeping themselves in the saddle but are without head and heart.

The last offspring, the forefather of the Tibetans, took the chest and stomach. Thus the Tibetans are
full of heart and courage.

Tranquerah
This part of City of Malacca originated from the Portuguese word meaning palisades, entrenchments
or outworks made from stakes driven into the ground, a fortress to protect the town. It seems that in
the early part of the 17th century, Tranquerah Street (or The Street of the Palisades) ended at the gate
of what was then the Porta da Tranqueira, as shown in Emmanuel Godinho de Eredia's 1613 sketchplan
of Malacca.

Trivial
Directly taken from Latin "tri via" which means three roads. Way back in history, there were just
three roads leading to Rome. Women going to the market would stop at the junction and gossiped
and talked of petty and trivial things, unlike today's women who would talk about Dow Jones and
Nasdaq indices.

Turtle
Although Western lexicographers assumed that the word turtle is an alteration from the French word
tortue (tortoise), my Guru from Parit, Perak swears that the word is originated from the Malay tuntong,
a specie of turtle, Batagur baska. It seems a French writer visiting the former Dutch fort at Lumut were
awed by the sight of the large colony of tuntongs coming to lay eggs on the Dindings coast. He
mispronounced and misspelt the word when reporting his sighting. Whatever the origin of its name,
lets continue to protect and conserve this wonderful animal, whose numbers are fast diminishing animal,
no thanks to mankind's ruthless greed.

Ulu Beranang
Ulu Beranang is a location in Negri Sembilan (literally meaning nine states but actually nine districts).
"Ulu"(or "Hulu") means upriver, upper reaches or the source of the river while "Beranang" is the
Minangkabau form for "berenang" i.e. to swim. Old folks say that the Jakuns or a primitive
aboriginal tribe were here long befor the Malays settled.
The Jakuns liked to live and build houses by the river bank. One day they held a swimming competition
as part of the 'manhood' tests. To encourage the pre-adolescent boys, the chief himself dived in and raced
them upriver. In fact he was the first to reach the source of the river. To mark the chief's prowess, they
shifted their whole settlement there and called it Ulu Beranang.

What
This word traces its history to the Latin "quod" which entered old German as "khwat" and later
evolved into German "was", Dutch "wat", Swedish "vad", Danish "hvad" and the English "what".

White elephant
Today this term refers to useless acquisitions of various kinds their owners could do without. In
ancient times, however, the white elephant was a Persian monarch's strategy to ruin any of his courtiers
who had a falling out with him. His Imperial Majesty would present as a royal gift,a real, sacred white
elephant. The courtier cannot refuse the gift which being sacred due to its whiteness cannot be sold,
given away, disposed or destroyed. Its upkeep soon proved a disastrously expensive liability for its
owners, thus ruining him financially.

Yuppie
This word, an American acronym for Young Urban Professional won out against yumpie ( Young
Upwardly Mobile People) and has been cloned to buppie (black yuppie), guppie (green i.e. environmentally
conscious/concerned yuppie) and Juppie, Suppie and Muppie (respectively for Japanese, Singaporean
and Malaysian yuppie). The latest clone, not as yet registered is wuppie (wannabe yuppie) for those above
60 years old suddenly sporting yuppie dressing and lifestyle (seen any of them around you ???).

Zombie
Dolores Riordan and the Cranberries have made this word famous once more. Originally the name
of a snake-God in a West African voodoo cult, zombie is a combination of the Kongolese words
nzambi (God) and zumbi (fetish), it is now applied to two classes of beings name ly reanimated
corpses (thanks to Dr. Frankenstien ??) and catatonically slow- witted persons. During earlier IT
implementations, after working round the clock (its too late to tell the Labour Ministry), the writer
and certain team members did sometimes admit that we are/were zombies. Into which category do
we fall I wonder.....