N

This dictionary contains only those words that differ from standard Indonesian, following the lists compiled by Takaria & Pieter (1998), Devin, and Pattiasina, with orthography standardised between the three. Stress tends to be noticeably on the penultimate syllable, which plays a significant part in producing the distinctive Ambon accent. Many words are derived from Indonesian by applying the following substitutions:

• Initial -e, -er syllables in grammatical prefixes become -a

  • berdiri → badiri, terbakar → tabakar

• Final -n, -m modifiers become -ng

  • teman → tamang, asam → asang

• Final -k, -h modifiers are dropped

  • anak → ana, bersih → barsi

• Final -u syllable becomes -o

  • arus → aros, mabuk → mabo

• Initial -e, -er syllables more generally become -a

  • mesin → masing, lentera → lanterna

nae   [see nai]   verb

nae-nae bunga   like aren palm sugar at a certain stage of production   adjective

nafas   breath   noun

naga-naga   mast step (?)   noun

nahas   traditional marking of signs in nature for some purpose (?)   noun

nai₁   climb, ascend   verb

nai₂   rise   verb

nai₃   become more expensive   verb

nai₄   become, be   verb

nai₅   venture out upon the sea   verb

najong₁   lateral beam connecting outriggers to a canoe   noun

najong₂   [see ladong]   noun

nama fam   surname   noun

nama kacil   first name   noun

nama pangel   nickname   noun

nanako   [see nanaku]   noun

nanaku₁   make a mental note of   verb

nanaku₂   remember, know   verb

nanaku₃   calculate, predict   verb

nanaku₄   instructions, guidelines   noun

nanala₁   again and again   noun

nanala₂   want to keep going   verb

nanala₃   trying someone’s patience   verb

naneri   boar tusk   noun

nangka balanda   the soursop tree (annona muricata) and its fruit   noun

nani aer   the tree polyspora amboinensis   noun

nani   the tree metrosideros petiolata   noun

nani₁   a hand tool somewhere between an axe and a hammer, used to extract sago flour from the tree stem   noun

nani₂   the indonesian bay (syzygium polyanthum)   noun

napa   here is   verb

napsu   strongly inclined   adjective

napul   (?)   noun

naraka   hell   noun

nasi pulu siram gula mera   a dish consisting of glutinous rice, palm sugar, and pandan leaves   noun

nasi pulu   a sticky rice dish featuring chicken and nutmeg   noun

nat   gap   noun

natsar   money given to the collection plate during church services (the offertory in baptist churches)   noun

nau-nau   mute   adjective

naumang   eczema   noun

naunau   illiterate   adjective

nene bongso   grandmother’s youngest sibling   noun

nene jaganti   a fairytale figure: seven children play in the forest and get lost, but are taken in by two friendly giants (nene jaganti and tete jaganti) who, it transpires, intend to eat the children for their breakfast   noun

nene moyang   ancestor   noun

nene   grandmother   noun

neptang   pliers   noun

nesa   sitting on the ground without a cushion   verb

nganga₁   look, see   verb

nganga₂   stare at   verb

ni   this   noun

nibong   the palm tree oncosperma tigillarium   noun

nika   get married   verb

niku   pay attention   verb

nini₁   focus on something far away   verb

nini₂   stay focused   verb

nipa   the nipa palm (nypa fructicans)   noun

nipis   thin   adjective

niri gula   honeybee (the family apidae)   noun

niri itang   a type of black-bodied bee with a poisonous sting or bite   noun

niri madu   honeybee (the family apidae)   noun

niri   bee, wasp   noun

nisi   peel, slice, or cut something carefully because it is very thin   verb

nitu₁   dead person   noun

nitu₂   ghost of a dead person   noun

no₁   “right?”, “isn’t it?”, etc.   interjection

no₂   then, so   conjunction

nodek   pay attention   verb

nogi-nogi   rage, anger   noun

noko-noko   (?)   noun

nokoputil   (?)   noun

nona manis   pretty girl   noun

nona   “miss”, term of address for a younger female   noun

nonae   fishing bait   noun

nonai   [see nonae]   noun

noso   flat, squashed   adjective

not   invitation   noun

notu   chew slowly   verb

noul   a type of venomous fish (?)   noun

nunas   keel   noun

nusa ina   ‘mother island’, a poetic nickname for seram suggestive of its role as a mytho-historical homeland   noun

nusa   island (when used in place names)   noun

nya   term of address for a married female chinese-indonesian shopkeeper   noun

nyado   [see konyadu]   noun

nyadu   [see konyadu]   noun

nyali   guts, grit; the guts to do something   noun

nyamang   comfortable   adjective

nyamu   mosquito   noun

nyanyau   [see kawa nyanyau]   noun

nyanyiang   song   noun

nyawa   breath   noun

nyilu₁   hurt   verb

nyilu₂   painful   adjective

nyimu₁   fishing line   noun

nyimu₂   thin rope   noun

nyiru   a tray made from woven bamboo used to sell grilled sago or smoked fish   noun

nyong gogos   handsome guy   noun

nyong   “lad”, term of address for a young man   noun

nyonyor₁   unlucky, cursed   adjective

nyonyor₂   battered   adjective

nyora   term of address for the wife of a prominent community figure (teacher, priest, etc.)   noun