mantan

Possibly borrowed from Old Javanese mantĕn, an alternation of mari, from -um- + ari (“to cease”).^[1][2]

• (Besemah) IPA^(key): /manˈtan/

mantan

1. (Besemah) former (position holders, positions, etc); ex-

   riye mantan ― former village chief

• → Indonesian: mantan (learned)

• Sutiono Mahdi (2014) “mantan”, in Kamus bahasa Besemah–Indonesia–Inggris [Besemah–Indonesian–English dictionary] (in Central Malay), Jatinangor: Unpad Press, page 239

Learned borrowing from Besemah mantan, possibly from Old Javanese mantĕn. Coined by Indonesian linguist and cultural activist Ahmad Bastari Suan in 1984 as an alternative to the Dutch loanword eks, as well as the native form bekas, which had a pejorative connotation.^[1][2]

• IPA^(key): /ˈmantan/
• Rhymes: -tan, -an
• Hyphenation: man‧tan

mantan

1. former (position holders, positions, etc); ex-

   Synonyms: bekas, eks

   mantan kepala sekolah ― former headmaster

Unlike typical adjectives, it is used before the modified noun, perhaps influenced by the usage of eks.

mantan (plural mantan-mantan)

1. (informal) a former significant other
   • 2020, Cella, Chua, Tantri, “Mantanku [My Ex]”, in Identitas [Identity], performed by Kotak, Jakarta: Warner Music Indonesia, track 7:

     Apa kabar sekarang kamu, sang mantanku?

     How are you now, my ex?

• → Malay: mantan (learned)

• “mantan” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Learned borrowing from Indonesian mantan, from Besemah mantan, possibly from Old Javanese mantĕn.^[1][2]

• IPA^(key): [man.tan]

  • Audio (Malaysia):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -tan, -an
• Hyphenation: man‧tan

mantan (Jawi spelling منتن)

1. former (position holders, positions, etc); ex-

   Synonym: bekas

   mantan Menteri Besar ― former Chief Minister

• “mantan” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.