Minyak
/ˈmi.njak/noun
An Indonesian word meaning oil, oily substance, or cooking oil.
Did you know?In Indonesian, minyak appears in compounds for cooking oil, petroleum, and essential oils, showing how one ancient Austronesian word expanded across radically different substances.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Malayo-Polynesian
PMP
*minyak
“Reconstructed Austronesian term for oil or an oily substance.”
Old Malay
Old Malay
minyak
“Oil or grease; the form is attested through the historical Malay lexicon.”
Classical Malay
Malay
minyak
“Oil, including substances used for cooking, lamps, grooming, and medicine.”
20th Century
Indonesian
minyak
“Oil; the word became standard Indonesian vocabulary, including compounds referring to petroleum and cooking oil.”
Modern Indonesian
Indonesian
minyak
“Oil or oily liquid, used in everyday, industrial, culinary, medicinal, and cosmetic contexts.”
Explore more surprising origins