mampus

English

Etymology 1

Origin unknown.

Noun

mampus

1. (British dialect, Dorset) A large number.

   Synonyms: shedload; see also Thesaurus:lot

   • 1891, Thomas Hardy, chapter III, in Tess of the d’Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented […], volume I, London: James R[ipley] Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., […], →OCLC, phase the first (The Maiden), page 33:

     No doubt a mampus of folk of our own rank will be down here in their carriages as soon as 'tis known.

Etymology 2

Malay mampus (“to die, to perish, to be wiped out”).

Alternative forms

• mampos

Pronunciation

• (Singapore) IPA^(key): /mʌmpos/

Adjective

mampus (not comparable)

1. (Singapore, informal) finished, wiped out, kaput.
   • 1985, The Straits Times [newspaper]

     "Oh, my wife is such a shrew. No wonder I can't stay with her!" Mampus, you're finished!

   • 1998, unknown author, Singapore Business, page 123:

     Luckily, there were not in US dollars. If they were, mampus.

   • 2008 June 29, Khairul Neezam, “khaaaa-zaaam!”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)‎^[1], archived from the original on 7 February 2013:

     Advertlets? 2 months still haven’t received?!?!?! OMG. I just cashed out mine like last week. MAMPUS. Like this December then get?

   • 2009, Muhammad Norsina Zalin, My Name is Sina: Hi… , [blog]

     Don't be [surprise] if I am using "Sure mampus", [s]o lembap or etc in this blog..

   • 2010, Dream Academy, [advertisement]

     “Mampus! The recipe was in my family for seven generations! Now my unborn grandchildren will never get to enjoy this sedap dish with their multi-racial friends.”

   • 2013, William Gwee Thian Hock, A Baba Boyhood: Growing Up During World War 2, page 205 [book]

     “Mampus lah. How can immature females be allowed to choose their own life partner?”

Usage notes

Commonly used in a joking manner to refer to oneself when in trouble, or as a form of curse to someone else.

Indonesian

Etymology

From Malay mampus, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qa(m)pus (“come to an end, be destroyed”). Doublet of hapus. Compare Sundanese apus (“easily go out, extinguished (fire)”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmampʊs]
• Hyphenation: mam‧pus

Verb

mampus

1. (vulgar) to die

   Synonym: mati

Further reading

• “mampus” 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.

Malay

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qa(m)pus (“come to an end, be destroyed”). Doublet of hapus. Compare Sundanese apus (“easily go out, extinguished (fire)”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mampus/
• Rhymes: -ampus, -us
• (Johor-Riau) IPA^(key): [mämpʊs, -pos, -po̞s]

Verb

mampus (Jawi spelling ممڤوس)

1. (vulgar) to die, to perish

   Synonyms: mati, meninggal dunia

   Antonym: hidup

See also

• nak mampus (“very, extremely”)

Further reading

• “mampus” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.
• Austronesian Comparative Dictionary