undang-undang

Indonesian

Etymology

Reduplication of undang, inherited from Malay undang-undang, from Classical Malay undang. Semantic loan from Dutch ordonnantie for legal regulation sense.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈʊn.daŋˈʊn.daŋ]

Noun

undang-undang (first-person possessive undang-undangku, second-person possessive undang-undangmu, third-person possessive undang-undangnya)

1. (law) legislation: law which has been enacted by legislature or other governing body.

   Synonyms: aturan, legislasi, peraturan, perundang-undangan, reglemen, regulasi

   1. act of parliament: a law which has received assent (royal, presidential or gubernatorial) after having been passed by the houses (or house) of a parliament.

      Synonym: akta parlimen (Standard Malay)

2. (rare) plural of undang (“law”):

   Synonym: hukum

   1. a binding regulation or custom established in a community in this way.
   2. rule.

Usage notes

The word is part of false friends between Standard Malay and Indonesian due to shared etymology. The Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore usage can be seen in Malay undang-undang.

Derived terms

• perundang-undangan

 

• undang-undang bagi hasil
• undang-undang darurat
• undang-undang dasar
• undang-undang hukum
• undang-undang hukum perdata
• undang-undang negara
• undang-undang organik
• undang-undang perburuhan
• undang-undang pokok

 

Further reading

• “undang-undang” 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

Noun

undang-undang (Jawi spelling اوندڠ٢, plural banyak undang-undang, informal 1st possessive undang-undangku, 2nd possessive undang-undangmu, 3rd possessive undang-undangnya)

1. plural of undang law (the body of binding rules and regulations)

Usage notes

The word is part of false friends between Standard Malay and Indonesian due to shared etymology. The Indonesian usage can be seen in Indonesian undang-undang.

Further reading

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