FromMalaymerdeka, fromClassical Malayمرديكا(mĕrdeka), fromSanskritमहर्द्धिक(maharddhika,“prosperous”). Cognate ofJavaneseꦩꦂꦢꦶꦏ(mardika),Bugineseᨆᨑᨙᨉᨀ(maradeka),Tagalogmaharlika.Doublet ofmahardika.
mêrdéka
- free fromoppression (e.g.slavery)
- (politics) free fromcolonialism,annexation, militaryoccupation, etc.; liberated;independent
- Indonesia sudah dinyatakanmerdeka sejak 17 Agustus 1945. ―Indonesia has been declared to beindependent since 17 August 1945.
- (rare) free from an obligation, especially a prisonsentence
- (rare)self-sufficient; independent; not dependent on others
Elision ofmerdeheka fromSanskritमहर्द्धिक(maharddhika,“prosperous”), first attested in theKota Kapur inscription, 686 CE, as Old Malay[script needed](maharddhika), Cognate ofBugineseᨆᨑᨙᨉᨀ,Tagalogmaharlika.
- (Baku)IPA(key): [mə(r).de.ka]
- (Johor-Riau)IPA(key): [mə(r).de.kə]
- Note: This "Johor-Riau" pronunciation does not occur in the modern Malaysian variety of Johor-Riau Malay anymore probably due to the influence of Tunku Abdul Rahman'shistoric "merdeka" chant with hisKedah Malay accent which did not go through the historical "final-[a] > [ə]" change that occurred in Johor-Riau Malay.
- Rhymes:-kə,-ə
- Hyphenation:mer‧de‧ka
merdeka (Jawi spellingمرديک)
- Notimprisoned orenslaved;free.
- Synonym:bebas /بيبس
- Antonym:terkurung /ترکوروڠ
2005,A. Samad Said,A. Samad Said: Sebuah antologi puisi yang menghimpunkan karya-karya selama setengah abad [A. Samad Said: An anthology of poems assembled from works spanning half a century], Utusan Publications,Langsir Merdeka (Poem No. 119),page394:Setiap fajar begitu dihayati ufukmerdeka; kebahagiaan yang wajib kita membinanya.- Every hue of dawn is much appreciated by the horizon offreedom; happiness that is compulsory for all of us to build.
- Independent:
- (of a polity) Notruled by others.
1957 August 31,Tunku Abdul Rahman,Pemasyhuran Kemerdekaan Tanah Melayu [Malayan Declaration of Independence]:بهاواسڽ كران تله تيباله ماسڽ باڬي اومت ڤرسكوتوان تانه ملايو اين منچاڤأي تارف سواتو بڠسا يڠمرديك لاڬي بردولت سام ستيمڤل كدودوكنڽ دڠن سڬالا بڠسا سلوروه دنيا- (Bahawasanya kerana telah tibalah masanya bagi umat Persekutuan Tanah Melayu ini mencapai taraf suatu bangsa yangmerdeka lagi berdaulat sama setimpal kedudukannya dengan segala bangsa seluruh dunia.)
- Whereas the time has now arrived when the people of the Persekutuan Tanah Melayu will assume the status of afree independent and sovereign nation among nations of the World.
2018 February 16, Normazlina M.D, “Simbol negaramerdeka [Symbol of anindependent nation]”, inMedia Permata[1], archived fromthe original on18 August 2019:Bendera negara bukan hanya sekadar sehelai kain yang mempunyai warna atau motif tertentu bahkan ia adalah simbol identiti sesebuah negara yangmerdeka lagi berdaulat.- The national flag is not just a piece of cloth that has a certain color or motif. In fact, it is a symbol of the identity of a nation that isindependent and sovereign.
- Notdependent on other people;self-reliant.
Affixed terms and other derivations
Regular affixed derivations:
Irregular affixed derivations, other derivations and compound words:
- Edi Sedyawati, Ellya Iswati, Kusparyati Boedhijono, Dyah Widjajanti D. (1994)Kosakata Bahasa Sanskerta dalam Bahasa Melayu Masa Kini, Jakarta, Indonesia: Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa. Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Republik Indonesia,→ISBN, page251
- Wilkinson, Richard James (1932) “mĕrdĕheka”, inA Malay-English dictionary (romanised), volume II, Mytilene, Greece: Salavopoulos & Kinderlis, page134
