kuda nil

Indonesian

FWOTD – 8 November 2020

Etymology

Compound of kuda (“horse”) +‎ nil (“Nile river”), calque of Dutch nijlpaard.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈkud̪a ˈnɪl]

Noun

kuda nil (plural kuda-kuda nil, first-person possessive kuda nilku, second-person possessive kuda nilmu, third-person possessive kuda nilnya)

1. hippopotamus

   Synonym: badak air

   • 1988, Ensiklopedi Indonesia. Seri fauna: Serangga, page 421:

     Kuda nil agak berisik dan senantiasa memperdengarkan suara menggeram yang terutama menyebar jauh di atas air.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Further reading

• “kuda nil” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.