mata-mata

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

mata-mata (plural mata-matas)

1. (Singapore, Malaysia, slang) A police officer.

• Mama Tata

Inherited from Malay mata-mata. Equivalent to reduplication of mata (“eye”).

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˌmata ˈmata/ [ˌma.t̪a ˈma.t̪a]
• Rhymes: -ata
• Syllabification: ma‧ta-ma‧ta

mata-mata

1. (rare) plural of mata

mata-mata (plural mata-mata or para mata-mara)

1. spy (a person who secretly watches and examines the actions of another individual or organization)

   Synonyms: pengintai, agen rahasia, intelijen

• The word is part of false friends between Standard Malay and Indonesian due to shared etymology. The Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore usage can be seen in Malay mata-mata.

• “mata-mata” 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.

Reduplication of mata (“eye”). From mata + mata.

• IPA^(key): /ˈmata ˈmata/ [ˈma.t̪a ˈma.t̪a]
• (Johor-Riau) IPA^(key): /ˈmatə ˈmatə/ [ˈma.t̪ə ˈma.t̪ə]
• Rhymes: -ta, -a

mata-mata (Jawi spelling مات٢)

1. Plural of mata.

mata-mata (Jawi spelling مات٢, plural banyak mata-mata)

1. A police officer.

   Synonyms: polis, perajurit

2. A spy.

   Synonyms: ejen rahsia, pengintip, perisik, luluk

The word is part of false friends between Standard Malay and Indonesian due to shared etymology. The Indonesian usage can be seen in Indonesian mata-mata.

• > Indonesian: mata-mata (inherited)
• → Cantonese: 馬打 / 马打 (maa³ daa¹ / maa⁵ daa¹)
• → English: mata-mata
• → Hokkien: 馬打 / 马打 (má-tâ / mā-tà)
• → Mandarin: 馬打 / 马打 (mǎdǎ, mǎdá)
• → Teochew: 馬打 / 马打 (ma¹ da⁶)
  • → Thai: หมาต๋า (mǎa-dtǎa)
• →? Vietnamese: mã tà

• “mata-mata” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.
• "mata-mata" in Kamus Dewan, Fourth Edition, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, →ISBN, 2005.

mata-mata m (plural mata-matas)

1. (Brazil, sports) playoff
2. (Brazil, sports) knockout, qualifying round, (UK) tie (tournament in which a team or player must beat the opponent in order to progress)

mata-mata f (plural mata-matas)

1. (Brazil) alternative spelling of matamatá

• “mata-mata”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025