mempunyai

Indonesian

Etymology

• Irregular derivation as punya +‎ mem- -i, or
• Contraction of me- +‎ empu +‎ -nya +‎ -i.

According to Foong Ha Yap, data from the Malay Concordance Project shows evidence that this verb is a derivative of empunya (“owner, his master”), which comes from empu (“master”) and the third person genitive -nya. In modern Malay, the root word is analyzed as punya, a back-formation from mempunyai or clipping of empunya.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /məm.ˈpu.ɲa.i/
• Hyphenation: mem‧pu‧nya‧i
• Rhymes: -puɲai, -ɲai, -i

Verb

mempunyai (passive dipunyai)

1. (transitive) to possess
2. (transitive) to own

   Saya mempunyai kamus baru.

   I have a new dictionary.

Further reading

• “mempunyai” 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

Affixation of punya +‎ meng- -i.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /məmpuɲai/, [məm.pu.ɲa.ʔi]
• Hyphenation: mem‧pu‧nya‧i

Verb

mempunyai (Jawi spelling ممڤوڽاءي)

1. Active of punyai (“to have; to own”).