Sumatra
The largest island entirely in Indonesia and the world’s sixth largest island.
Proper noun
- The largest island entirely in Indonesia and the world’s sixth largest island.
Origin
From Portuguese Sumatra, from Arabic سُومَطْرَة (sūmaṭra), from Malay Sumatera, from Sanskrit समुद्र (samudra, “sea”). Mentioned in the 11th century in Sanskrit as समुद्रभूमि (samudrabhūmi, “land of Sumatra”), gradually replacing the earlier सुवर्णद्वीप (suvarṇadvīpa).
Derived
Noun
- A squall or violent rainstorm coming from the south.
- In the Straits of Malacca one encounters a squall every night; there they are known by the name of Sumatras, crossing as they do from the island bearing that name. - 1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and...
- A chicken of a breed native to the island of Sumatra, formerly used in cock-fighting and now mainly kept for exhibition.