Meanings
alternative dated Molucca
- A province of Indonesia. Capital: Ambon.
Muksin specifically mentioned 11 extinct indigenous languages, such as Tandia and Mawes in West Papua and Papua, along with Kajeli, Piru, Moksela, Palumata, Ternateno, Hukumina, Hoti, Serua, and Nila in different areas of Maluku.
2024 March 8, Antara, “11 Indigenous Languages Declared Extinct: Education Ministry”, in Jakarta Globe
Synonyms & antonyms
proper nounSynonym of Moluccas.
Origin
- Arabicجَزِيرَات المَلِك
- EnglishMaluku
The islands are said to have been named Arabic جَزِيرَات المَلِك (jazīrāt al-malik, literally “king islands”) by Arab merchants. However, since the name itself has been mentioned in a 14th-century Majapahit eulogy, Nagarakretagama, that predates the arrival of Islam in Maluku at the late fifteenth century, other sources claim that the name comes from a local language with the meaning "the head of a bull" or "the head of something large".
More words from Arabic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 馬魯古 /马鲁古
- 馬魯古 /马鲁古 (Mǎlǔgǔ)province of Indonesia
Indonesian Maluku
- Malukuprovince of Indonesia
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
Maluku. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Maluku
“Maluku.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Maluku. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Maluku,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Maluku.
Source: Maluku on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.