kebaya

K5E1B3A1Y4A1

noun

A traditional blouse worn by women in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, and Southern Thailand.

OriginMalay kebaya ← Portuguese cabaia ← Sinhalese කබාය (kabāya) →
Scrabble 15
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Meanings

nounkebaya (plural kebayas)

plural kebayas · alternative kabaya · alternative kabayah · alternative kebayah

  1. A traditional blouse worn by women in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, and Southern Thailand.

Origin

  1. Arabicقَبَاء (qabāʔ)
  2. Persianقباءbor.?
  3. Sinhaleseකබා (kabā)
  4. Sinhaleseකබාය (kabāya)
  5. Portuguesecabaia
  6. Malaykebaya
  7. Englishkebaya

Borrowed from Malay kebaya.

More words from Malay

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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