oknum

See also: oknům

Indonesian

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic أُقْنُوم (ʔuqnūm), ultimately from Classical Syriac ܩܢܽܘܡܳܐ (qnōmā, “self, essence, person, hypostasis”). The reasons how this word's meaning developed into "infamous" are still unclear.

Adjective

oknum

1. (derogatory) infamous, notorious (of a person)

   oknum polisi

   (infamous/bad) police

Noun

oknum (first-person possessive oknumku, second-person possessive oknummu, third-person possessive oknumnya)

1. (theology, Christianity) person, hypostasis
2. (derogatory) infamous party, individual, elements, person

Descendants

• → Tetum: oknum

Further reading

• “oknum” 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.