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lawan

Pronunciation: /ˈlawan/

“lawan” is a Malay word. Its 7 meanings in English:

noun

  1. opponent; rival; enemy; competitor (someone who competes against or fights another).
  2. counterpart; matching pair; partner (a item or person that complements or pairs with another).
  3. equal; match (a person or thing equal to another in strength, skill, or quality).
  4. opposite; contrary (something that is the exact reverse of another).

verb

  1. to fight; to oppose; to resist; to compete.
  2. to compare with (to be of similar quality or level).
  3. To serve, to give one's attention to.

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Malayic *laban, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *laban (“oppose, go against someone”). Cognate with Tagalog laban and Javanese lawan. Attested in the Kota Kapur inscription, 686 AD, as Old Malay [script needed] (lavan).

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.