kakitangan
See also: kaki tangan
Malay
editEtymology
editFrom kaki (“foot”) + tangan (“hand”), i.e. “hands and feet” - in contrast to kepala, meaning "head" (both in anatomical and social sense) but also "leader".
Pronunciation
editNoun
editkakitangan (plural kakitangan-kakitangan, informal 1st possessive kakitanganku, 2nd possessive kakitanganmu, 3rd possessive kakitangannya)
Usage notes
editThe word is part of false friends between Standard Malay and Indonesian due to shared etymology. The Indonesian usage can be seen in Indonesian kaki tangan.
Further reading
edit- “kakitangan” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.