Thai

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Etymology

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From Proto-Tai *mɯəŋᴬ (township). Cognate with Lao ເມືອງ (mư̄ang), Northern Thai ᨾᩮᩬᩥᨦ, Khün ᨾᩮᩨ᩠ᨦ, ᦵᦙᦲᧂ (moeng), Tai Dam ꪹꪣꪉ, Tai Dón ꪝꪷꪉ, Shan မိူင်း (móeng), Tai Nüa ᥛᥫᥒᥰ (möeng), Ahom 𑜉𑜢𑜤𑜂𑜫 (müṅ), Tày mường. Compare loanwords in neighbouring languages: Khmer មឿង (mɨəng), Northern Khmer มฺืง, Vietnamese Mường, Chinese (měng).

Pronunciation

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Orthographic/Phonemicเมือง
e m ụ̄ ɒ ŋ
RomanizationPaiboonmʉʉang
Royal Institutemueang
(standard) IPA(key)/mɯa̯ŋ˧/(R)

Noun

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เมือง (mʉʉang) (classifier เมือง or แห่ง)

  1. (archaic) city-state.
  2. (archaic) fortified polity.
  3. any polity, as district, town, city, state, nation, etc.
  4. region, sphere, or domain within which someone or something occurs, prevails, or dominates.
  5. urban area.
  6. civilised polity; modernised polity.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Proper noun

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เมือง (mʉʉang)

  1. (informal, formerly derogatory) Northern Thailand.

Usage notes

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  • First attested in a report dated 2427 BE (1884/85 CE) submitted to the Siamese government by Prince Bijitprijakara following the annexation of Lan Na, which now forms Northern Thailand.
  • Originally used by the Siamese officials to refer derogatorily to the annexed Lan Na and its local people.

Derived terms

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References

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  • เนื้ออ่อน ขรัวทองเขียว. (2016). เปิดแผนยึดล้านนา. Bangkok: มติชน. →ISBN. page 151.