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pontianak. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
pontianak, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
pontianak in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Etymology
Borrowed from Malay pontianak.
Noun
pontianak (countable and uncountable, plural pontianaks)
- (countable) A female vampiric ghost in Malaysian and Indonesian mythology, said to be the spirit of a woman who died while pregnant.
2009, Andrew Hock-Soon Ng, “"Death and the Maide": The Pontianak as Excess in Malay Popular Culture”, in John Edgar Browning, Caroline Joan Picart, editors, Draculas, Vampires, and Other Undead Forms: Essays on Gender, Race and Culture:One of the most fearsome creatures of Malay folklore is the pontianak.
- Alternative form of pontianac (“fossil resin”)
Kristang
Etymology
From Malay pontianak.
Noun
pontianak
- A female vampiric ghost, said to be the spirit of a woman who died while pregnant.
Malay
Etymology
From portmanteau in Sanggau pontianak, ponti (“carry”) + anak (“child”).
Noun
pontianak
- A female vampiric ghost, said to be the spirit of a woman who died while pregnant.
Derived terms
(toponyms):