Serani

Indonesian

Etymology

From Malay Nasrani, from Arabic نصراني (naṣrāniyy, “Christian”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [səˈrani]
• Hyphenation: Sê‧ra‧ni

Noun

Serani (first-person possessive Seraniku, second-person possessive Seranimu, third-person possessive Seraninya)

1. Christian: a believer in Christianity; a person who seeks to live his or her life according to the principles and values taught by Jesus Christ.

   Synonyms: Nasrani, Kristen

2. (archaic) Indo people
3. (archaic) Portuguese people.

Derived terms

• menyeranikan
• penyeranian

 

Descendants

• → Min Nan: 色仔哖 (sek-á-nî)

Further reading

• “Serani” 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

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic نصراني (naṣrāniyy, “Christian”). Doublet of Nasrani.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [sə.ra.ni]
• Rhymes: -ni, -i
• Hyphenation: Se‧ra‧ni

Proper noun

Serani (Jawi spelling سراني)

1. Christianity.

   Synonyms: Kristian, Nasrani

2. Kristang (ethnic group).
3. (obsolete) Portuguese (ethnic group).

Affixations

• keseranian
• penyeranian
• seranikan

 

Compounds

• air Serani (“baptism water”)
• masuk Serani (“to convert to Christianity”)
• orang Serani (“Christian; Kristang person”)

 

Further reading

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