Rice in Malaya

Glossary

Glossary 231 Glossary Malay terms appearing in the text have been freely anglicized, especially in the plural for which the Malay forms seem either clumsy or pedantic in an English text. Nineteenth-century spellings have been retained. Ali Baba used to refer to a business arrangement in which Malay (Ali) participation is mere windowdressing for Chinese (Baba) financing and control Ani-ani (Javanese) see tuai Atap, attap palm thatch, usually made from Nipah Baba male Chinese, usually one of local birth or long residence who has adopted Malay customs to some degree, also used collectively Bagan lit. platform for drying fish; by extension, a fishing village Baginda king, ruler, prince Balukar see belukar Batas (sing, and pl.) low bund of earth separating wet rice fields Beliong axe, traditionally made with a flexible handle of rotan Belukar, balukar, secondary forest blukar Bendang northern Malay equivalent of sawah Bendang berbatas bunded wet rice fields Benua large country, continent, inland as distinct from coast Bilal muezzin Blachan a pungent paste made from prawns or fish Blukar see belukar Bras, beras rice grain not yet prepared by cooking 231 232 Glossary Budak raja lit. raja’s children, see kawan Campong see kampung Changkol, changkul heavy, long-handled hoe Chedong, chedongan see padi chedongan Chetty, chitty Chettiar money-lender Copang, kupang tin coin of small and variable value Coyan, koyan in modern times a measure of 40 pikul weight, but formerly a volumetric measure of variable size. Some authorities give a coyan (of rice) as equivalent to 1,250 gantangs, others give 800 gantangs Dammer, damar resin Dato, datuk lit. grandfather but frequently the title of a distinguished (male) person, usually not of royal blood Dusun orchard Engku a person of high rank, usually, but not invariably, of royal blood Gantang a variable measure of approximately one Imperial gallon. Since the 1880s it has been officially exactly equal to an Imperial gallon Haj the pilgrimage to Mecca Haji Muslim male who has completed the pilgrimage to Mecca Hamba lit. slave, but more usually bondsman, servant, as distinct from rakyat Huma, padi huma clearing on hill land; rice grown in such a clearing Imam chief official of a mosque Kajang waterproof mat used especially on boats Kampung, kampong, hamlet, village, homestead campong Kawan friend, follower, following (n.) Kayu gharu garu wood, camphor wood Kebun, keboon garden Keladi Colocasia spp., see keledek Kelamin see klamin Keledek yam, Dioscorea alata; sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas. Not to be confused with keladi which refers to taro (cocoyam), Colocasia spp. Keri, kri a short-handled hoe (see Kitching, 1930) Keris see kris Khatib mosque official ranking below imam Glossary 233 Kinchir ayer current-driven, undershot water-wheel used for raising water from a river Klamin, kelamin married couple, family Koyan see coyan Krah forced labour, corvée Kri see keri Kris, keris wavy-bladed dagger or short sword (sing. and pl.) Ksatriya (Sanscrit) warrior, member of warrior caste Kuala mouth of a river Kupang see copang Ladang forest clearing cultivated with food crops; modern meaning extended to any clearing, estate Lalang coarse grass of the genus Imperata Lampan lit. wooden tray or bowl for washing tin; by extension, working tin in this manner Lanyak, melanyak to churn the soil by means of cattle penned upon it Lebai mosque official, layman renowned for piety Lesong, lesong batu mortar for husking grain; stone mortar Malim learned person, esp. in religion Maulud lit. birthday Melanyak see lanyak Mukim minor administrative unit roughly corresponding to a parish Munshi teacher of languages, scholar Nagara, negara nation, chief of state Nakhoda ship’s captain Nibong palm of the genus Oncosperma Nipah, nipa Nipah frutescens, a common palm of brackish water. The fronds were widely used for the making of atap thatch Nonya, nonia female Chinese, usually one of local birth or long residence who has adopted Malay customs to some degree Orang bukit lit. hill person, hill people, usually aborigines (sing. and pl.) Orang kaya lit. rich man, also a title Orang laut lit. sea person, sea people, coast-dwelling aborigines (sing. and pl.) Orlong see relong 234 Glossary Padi, paddy strictly, rice plant, but frequently used by Europeans as equivalent to both padi and beras. The modern American use of “paddy” as meaning a wet rice field is unknown in Malay and Malayan English Padi berat lit. heavy rice; a rice variety which is slow-growing but heavy-yielding Padi chedongan transplanted rice Padi...