sembah

Borrowed from Old Javanese sĕmbah (cognate Javanese ꦱꦼꦩ꧀ꦧꦃ (sembah)), from Old Khmer saṃbaḥ ~ sambaḥ.

sembah (Balinese script ᬲᭂᬫ᭄ᬩᬄ)

1. the bow with palms together of an inferior to a superior

• sumbah

sembah (Balinese script ᬲᭂᬫ᭄ᬩᬄ)

1. to greet a superior

• nyembah

• “sembah”, in Balinese–Indonesian Dictionary [Kamus Bahasa Bali–Indonesia] (in Balinese), Denpasar, Indonesia: The Linguistic Center of Bali Province [Balai Bahasa Provinsi Bali].

• IPA^(key): /səmˈba̯h/

sembah

1. to worship
2. to revere
3. to honor

Inherited from Malay sembah, from Classical Malay sembah, from Javanese sembah.

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /səmˈbah/ [səmˈbah]
• Rhymes: -ah
• Syllabification: sem‧bah

sêmbah (active menyembah, passive disembah)

1. to worship
2. to lower oneself

• “sembah”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Inherited from Old Javanese sĕmbah.^[1] It's possible the term was borrowed from Malay sembah.^[2] Compare Old Khmer saṃbaḥ ~ sambaḥ; whence Khmer សំពះ (sɑmpĕəh).

sembah (Carakan spelling ꦱꦼꦩ꧀ꦧꦃ)

1. A gesture of high esteem made to a superior by holding the hands before the face, palms together, thumbs approaching the nose, and bowing the head slightly.
2. one's respect, one's high regards

• →? Malay: sembah
  • > Indonesian: sembah (inherited)
  • → Cebuano: simba
  • →? Javanese: sembah^[2]
  • →? Makasar: somba
  • → Maranao: simba
  • → Min Nan: 占巴
  • → Tagalog: samba, simba
  • →? Toba Batak: somba
  • → Urak Lawoi': ซือมัฮ (semah)

There are two theories as to the word's origins:

• Borrowed from Old Khmer saṃvaḥ.^[1]
• Borrowed from Javanese sembah.^[2]

• (Baku, schwa-variety) IPA^(key): /səmˈbah/ [səmˈbah]
• Rhymes: -mbah, -bah, -ah
• Hyphenation: sem‧bah

sembah (Jawi spelling سمبه, plural sembah-sembah or sembah²)

1. A gesture of respect for royalty where one's hands are touching each other flat and placed in front of one's face.
2. Words that are directed at a king.

sembah (Jawi spelling سمبه)

1. Bare form of menyembah (“to worship; to revere”).

• > Indonesian: sembah (inherited)
• → Cebuano: simba
• →? Javanese: sembah^[1]
• →? Makasar: somba
• → Maranao: simba
• → Min Nan: 占巴
• → Tagalog: samba, simba
• →? Toba Batak: somba
• → Urak Lawoi': ซือมัฮ (semah)

• "sembah" in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu (PRPM) [Malay Literary Reference Centre (PRPM)] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017