mata-mata

From Malay mata-mata (“eyes”), plural of mata. Doublet of maka, from Hawaiian.

mata-mata (plural mata-matas)

1. (Singapore, Malaysia, slang) A police officer.

• Mama Tata

Reduplication of mata (“eye”), inherited from Malay mata-mata.

mata-mata

1. plural of mata

mata-mata (plural banyak mata-mata)

1. spy

   Synonyms: agen rahasia, detektif, intelijen

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 mata-mata.

• “mata-mata” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Language Development and Fostering Agency — Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic Indonesia, 2016.

• مات٢‎

mata-mata

1. plural of mata

mata-mata (Jawi spelling مات٢‎, plural banyak mata-mata, informal 1st possessive mata-mataku, 2nd possessive mata-matamu, 3rd possessive mata-matanya)

1. policeman
2. spy

   Synonyms: ejen rahsia, pengintip, perisik

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

• luluk / lolok / لولوق‎

• Indonesian: mata-mata
• → English: mata-mata
• → Chinese: 馬打／马打 (mǎdǎ)
  • → Thai: หมาต๋า (mǎa-dtǎa)
• →? Vietnamese: mã tà

• “mata-mata” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.
• "mata-mata" in Kamus Dewan, Fourth Edition, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, →ISBN, 2005.