puntianak

Malay

Etymology

From portmanteau in Sanggau pontianak, ponti (“carry”) +‎ anak (“child”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /punˈtjanak/ [pun̪ˈt̪ja.naʔ]
  • Rhymes: -aʔ
  • Hyphenation: pun‧tia‧nak

Noun

puntianak (Jawi spelling ڤونتيانق, plural puntianak-puntianak or puntianak2)

  1. A female vampiric ghost, said to be the spirit of a woman who died while pregnant.
    Alternative form: pontianak (nonstandard)
    Synonyms: matianak, si ngiang-ngiang
    Synonym: kuntilanak (Indonesian)
    Hypernym: hantu

Derived terms

Compounds
  • akar puntianak
  • rambai puntianak
Toponyms

Descendants

  • → English: pontianak

See also

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