payah

Indonesian

Etymology

Inherited from Malay payah, from Javanese payah (“weary”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈpajah/ [ˈpa.jah]
• Rhymes: -ajah
• Syllabification: pa‧yah

Adjective

payah (comparative lebih payah, superlative paling payah)

1. exhausted, fatigued, overworked, tired
2. arduous, difficult, hard
3. troubled
4. critical, severe
5. grave
6. haggard

Derived terms

• keparahan
• memperparah
• terparah

Further reading

• “payah”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Javanese

Etymology

Affixation of ayah +‎ pa-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpajah/
• Rhymes: -jah, -ah
• Hyphenation: pa‧yah

Adjective

payah

1. weary

Descendants

• → Malay: payah
  • > Indonesian: payah (inherited)

Further reading

• “payah”, in Javanese-Indonesian Dictionary [Kamus Bahasa Jawa-Indonesia] (in Javanese), Yogyakarta, Indonesia: The Linguistic Center of Yogyakarta Special [Balai Bahasa Provinsi Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta], 2023.