Malay (Austronesian) Loanwords in English - Statistics

General Stats
  • This quiz has been taken 31 times
  • The average score is 9 of 20
Answer Stats
Hint Answer % Correct
A large, stinky, spiky tropical fruit. You may not take it with you on public transport in Singapore. durian
82%
Red-brown ape native to Borneo and Sumatra. In Malay, it means 'forest man'. orangutan
79%
To go on a killing spree, to go out of control. to run {amok}
71%
A vegetarian version of jelly, made with certain types of algae. Also used as a culture for bacteria. The word can be repeated. agar-agar
61%
Cebuano. A sea cow, closely related to the manatee. Starts with D. dugong
61%
An inundated field where rice is grown. paddy
61%
A mammal with scales, native to large parts of Asia and Africa. It rolls up when threatened. Thought to have played a role in the origin of covid, but this has been debunked. pangolin
61%
Informal term for a louse. Schoolboys claim that girls have them and vice versa.* cootie
57%
A small lizard active at night which clings to walls and ceilings. Named after its call or perhaps from Acehnese. gecko
54%
A sour and yellow citrus fruit. It came to English via Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic and French. lemon
54%
A percussion instrument consisting of a large metal disk or bowl, struck with a mallet. It is sometimes used in Western orchestras. gong
50%
Ilocano. A toy consisting of two disks connected to one end of a string. The other end is held by the hand. When thrown, it rolls back to your hand. It already existed in antiquity but it was popularized by a Filipino immigrant in the US. yo-yo
50%
A large flightless bird native to New Guinea and Australia, with a blue head. It has a reputation of being dangerous. cassowary
43%
Javanese. A type of Chinese sailboat, often with red sails reminiscent of bat wings. The word may ultimately be derived from an Austroasiatic language thought to be spoken in Indonesia before the spread of Austronesian. junk
36%
Several species of parrot kept as a pet. The best known is white with a yellow crest. cockatoo
32%
Material from certain palms woven into wickerwork furniture and baskets. Starts with R. rattan
32%
Javanese. Several species as fish, sometimes eaten but in the West more popular in aquariums. There is a kissing variety. Starts with G. gourami
25%
An chemical with a distinctive aroma obtained from a tropical tree, used for religious ceremonies and mothballs. It already reached Europe in the Middle Ages through the Arabs. Starts with C. camphor
14%
Tagalog. A small and sour citrus fruit, probably a crossing of a kumquat and a mandarin. calamansi
11%
A type of shoe used in ballet and other dances. It may have originated in Arabic, then was adopted into Javanese via Persian. Finally, the English got it through the Dutch. A remarkable path.* pump
4%
No matching quizzes found
Score Distribution
Percent of People with Each Score
Percentile by Number Answered
Your Score History
You have not taken this quiz