Bahasa

B3A1H4A1S1A1
UK/baˈhɑːsə/

proper noun

the Malay-Indonesian language

Similar
IndonesianBahasa Indonesia
OriginMalay bahasa ← Sanskrit भाषा →
Less commonScrabble 11
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. IndonesiaMalaysiaSingaporenonstandardproscribedthe Malay-Indonesian language

Synonyms & antonyms

nounthe dialect of Malay used as the national language of the Republic of Indonesia or of Malaysia

Similar
IndonesianBahasa Indonesia
Broader
Malay
Also see
bahasa indonesiaindonesianmalay

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Sanskritभाषा“language”
  2. Malaybahasa“language”
  3. EnglishBahasa

Borrowed from Indonesian and Malay bahasa (“language”), itself from Sanskrit भाषा (bhāṣā, “language”), as a shortening of Bahasa Indonesia/Bahasa Malaysia. Compare the use of Irish Béarla (“English”), originally simply meant "language".

More words from Malay, Sanskrit

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Abasha
Cite this entry
APA

Bahasa. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bahasa

MLA

“Bahasa.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bahasa. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Bahasa,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Bahasa.

Source: Bahasa on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.