lebai

Borrowed from Malay lebai (“someone who knows a lot about religion, a religious expert”).

The extended sense of "a supporter or member of PAS" was used by opponents to mock the conservative Islamic party's obsession with religious issues, carried over from Malay-language usage.

lebai (plural lebais)

1. (Malaysia, derogatory, slang, Islam, religion) a very devout person who behaves in a hypocritical manner.
2. (Malaysia, derogatory, politics, Internet slang) a member of PAS, a Malaysian conservative Islamist party, especially one who behaves in a hypocritical manner.
3. (Malaysia, derogatory, politics, Internet slang, by extension) a supporter of PAS.

• lebé (Jakarta)
• labai (West Sumatra)

• IPA^(key):
• Hyphenation: lê‧bai

From Malay lebai, from Classical Malay لباي (lĕbai), from Tamil லப்பை (lappai), a name of a trading community.^[1]

lêbai (plural lebai-lebai, first-person possessive lebaiku, second-person possessive lebaimu, third-person possessive lebainya)

1. (Islam, religion) mosque official
2. (Islam, religion) village official in charge of Muslim religious affairs
3. registrar; keeper of records

Possibly from lebih.

• lebay (nonstandard)

lêbai

1. (colloquial) overdone, corny

   Orang itu lebai sekali

   That guy is so corny.

• “lebai” 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.

From Tamil லப்பை (lappai), a name of a trading community.^[1] The Tamil word originally meant "here I am", as a term of address for people who converted to Islam. See Labbay for more information.

The extended sense of "a supporter or member of PAS" was used by opponents to mock the conservative Islamic party's obsession with religious issues.

• IPA^(key):
• Rhymes: -bai̯, -ai̯

lebai (Jawi spelling لباي, plural lebai-lebai, informal 1st possessive lebaiku, 2nd possessive lebaimu, 3rd possessive lebainya)

1. (Islam, religion) one who knows a lot about religion; a religious expert.
2. (Islam, religion) a very devout person who practices his religion.
3. (slang, derogatory) someone who forces people to follow a more conservative attitude, a know-it-all.
4. (derogatory, politics, Internet slang) a member of PAS, a Malaysian conservative Islamist party, especially one who behaves in a hypocritical manner.
5. (derogatory, politics, Internet slang, by extension) a supporter of PAS.
   • 2021, Utusan
   • Masyarakat tidak sepatutnya lagi menggelar Pas sebagai sebuah parti ‘tok lebai’ dan Pilihan Raya Negeri (PRN) Mela­ka akan membuktikan bahawa tanggapan itu salah.

     The community should no longer call the PAS Party as a party of "know-it-alls", and the State Election of Melaka will prove that notion wrong.

• Indonesian: lêbai
• → English: lebai

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