selak

Cebuano

Etymology

From English shellac, from shell +‎ lac, calque translation of French laque (“lac”) + en (“in”) + écailles (“scales, shells”).

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: se‧lak

Noun

selak

1. shellac; a processed secretion of the lac insect, Coccus lacca; used in polishes, varnishes etc.
2. (by extension) varnishing; an application of varnish

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:selak.

Indonesian

Etymology 1

Inherited from Malay selak, from Classical Malay sila, from Sanskrit शील (śīla, “conduct, beauty, form, virtue”). Doublet of sila.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈse.lak/
• Rhymes: -lak, -ak, -k
• Hyphenation: se‧lak

Verb

selak (base, imperative & colloquial selak, active menyelak, ordinary passive diselak, adversative passive terselak)

1. to open

   Synonyms: buka, singkap

Derived terms

• diselak
• diselakkan
• menyelak
• menyelakkan
• terselak

 

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Hindi सलाख (salākh, “iron bar; rod”), from Sanskrit शलाका (śalākā).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sə.ˈlak/
• Rhymes: -lak, -ak, -k
• Hyphenation: sê‧lak

Noun

sêlak (plural selak-selak, first-person possessive selakku, second-person possessive selakmu, third-person possessive selaknya)

1. bar, bolt

Derived terms

• diselak
• menyelak

 

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Betawi [Term?], from Javanese ꦱꦼꦭꦏ꧀, ꦱꦼꦊꦏ꧀ (selak, selek, “on the verge of, about to”, literally “to be choking”), from Old Javanese sĕlĕk, slĕk (literally “choke”), probably from Proto-Mon-Khmer *cʔə(ə)ʔ ~ *cʔə(ə)k ~ *cʔak (“to hiccough, belch”) (compare to Khmer ត្អើក (tʼaək, “hiccup”), Vietnamese nấc (“to hiccup”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sə.ˈlak/
• Rhymes: -lak, -ak, -k
• Hyphenation: sê‧lak

Verb

sêlak (base, imperative & colloquial selak, active menyelak, ordinary passive diselak, adversative passive terselak)

1. to jump (the queue).

   Synonym: menyelip

2. to haste

   Synonyms: mendesak, membangatkan, menggesa-gesakan

3. (dialect) to be choked: having been unable to breathe due to airway obstruction (choking) or strangulation, but usually to the point of pain and discomfort without death.

   Synonym: tersedak

Derived terms

• diselak
• keselak
• menyelak
• terselak

 

Further reading

• “selak” 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

Pronunciation

• (Pontianak) IPA^(key): /səlaʔ/
• Rhymes: -aʔ

Adjective

selak

1. (Pontianak) greedy