baluku

B3A1L1U1K5U1
Singapore/bɑːˈluːkuː/

noun

A swollen bruise or bump on the head; a goose egg.

OriginMalay buah duku →
Scrabble 12
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Meanings

noun

alternative balukoo

  1. SingaporecolloquialA swollen bruise or bump on the head; a goose egg.

    My head hit the windscreen, so baluku lor.

    2018, Jean Tay, Sisters & Senang: The Island Plays, Epigram Books, →ISBN, Scene 12, page 73

Origin

  1. Malaybuah duku“fruit of the tree Lansium domesticum, langsat”
  2. Englishbaluku

Corruption of Malay buah duku (“fruit of the tree Lansium domesticum, langsat”), under influence from Hokkien phonology, in which [d] and [l] are in complementary distribution, compare 黎撩 (lê-liô) from radio and 鐳／镭 (lui, “money”) from Malay duit.

More words from Malay

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

baluku. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/baluku

MLA

“baluku.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/baluku. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “baluku,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/baluku.

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