mata-mata

noun

A police officer.

OriginMalay mata-mata →
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Meanings

nounmata-mata (plural mata-matas)

plural mata-matas

  1. MalaysiaSingaporeslangA police officer.

Origin

  1. Malaymata-mata“eyes”
  2. Englishmata-mata

From Malay mata-mata (“eyes”), plural of mata. Doublet of maka, from Hawaiian.

More words from Malay

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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