Etymology

sjambok

S1J8A1M3B3O1K5

Today it means: A stout whip, especially made of rhinoceros or hippopotamus hide. Full definition →

Afrikaans sjambok ← Dutch sjambok ← Javanese cambuk
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

  1. Persian · derived fromچابک
  2. Javanese · derived fromcambuk
  3. Dutch · derived fromsjambok
  4. Afrikaans · borrowed fromsjambok
  5. English todaysjambok

From Afrikaans sjambok, from Dutch sjambok, from Javanese cambuk, and as borrowed in Malay: modern Indonesian and Malay, ultimately from Persian چابک (čâbok). Originally spelt in the colonial Dutch transliteration tscamboek. The term was imported by VOC officials, Dutch merchants, the Maardijkers (Maluku (Moluccan) freemen and burghers), and Inlanders (Javanese and other modern Indonesian slaves and political exiles expelled to Dutch South Africa). Doublet of chabuk.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.