halus

See also: Halus

Banjarese

Etymology

Cognate to Malay halus (“soft, fine-grained”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /halus/
• Hyphenation: ha‧lus

Noun

halus

1. small

Indonesian

Etymology

Inherited from Malay halus, from Proto-Malayic *halus. Cognate to Balinese alus and Banjarese halus (“small”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈhalus/ [ˈha.lʊs]
• Rhymes: -alus
• Syllabification: ha‧lus

Adjective

halus (comparative lebih halus, superlative paling halus)

1. smooth, soft
2. fine, fine-grained, powdered

   Synonym: lumat

   Bubuk halus ― Fine powder

3. (of a spirit) invisible

Derived terms

• kehalusan
• memperhalus
• menghalusi
• menghaluskan
• penghalus
• penghalusan

Malay

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhalus/ [ˈha.lus]
• Rhymes: -alos, -los, -os
• Hyphenation: ha‧lus

Adjective

halus (Jawi spelling هالوس, comparative lebih halus, superlative paling halus)

1. fine; minute; tiny (composed of very small particles, grains, or thin strands).

   Synonyms: kecil, renik, seni

   Antonyms: besar, kasar

   Pasir di pantai itu sangat halus.

   The sand on that beach is very fine.

2. smooth; soft (having an even, gentle texture free of roughness).

   Synonyms: lembut, licin

   Antonyms: kasar, kesat

   Kulit bayi itu amat halus.

   That baby's skin is very smooth.

3. delicate; refined; subtle (executed with fine workmanship or meticulous detail).

   Synonyms: rapi, seni, teliti

   Antonym: kasar

   Ukiran kayu itu buatannya amat halus.

   That wood carving's craftsmanship is very delicate.

4. polite; courteous; genteel; cultured (of speech, manners, or conduct; well-mannered and respectful).

   Synonyms: beradab, bersopan, lembut

   Antonyms: biadab, kasar, kurang ajar

   Tutur katanya sentiasa lembut dan halus.

   His speech is always gentle and polite.

5. unseen; invisible; spiritual; supernatural (relating to the spirit world or unseen entities).

   Synonyms: ghaib, rohani

   Antonyms: kasar, nyata

   Dia mendakwa melihat makhluk halus.

   He claimed to have seen a supernatural creature.

Derived terms

Affixations

• berhalus (“to act with politeness or subtlety”)
• kehalusan (“fineness; delicacy; refinement; politeness”)
• memperhalus (“to make more refined; to make finer”)
• memperhaluskan (“to refine; to make finer or more delicate”)
• menghalus (“to become fine or powdery”)
• menghalusi (“to scrutinize; to treat with delicacy”)
• menghaluskan (“to grind finely; to smoothen; to refine”)
• penghalus (“tool or agent used for refining or smoothing; refiner”)
• penghalusan (“refinement; smoothing; purification”)
• sehalus (“as fine as; as smooth as”)
• terhalus (“the finest; the most delicate”)

Reduplications

• halus-halus (“very fine; finely chopped or crushed”)
• menghalus-haluskan (“to continually refine or crush finely”)
• sehalus-halusnya (“as finely as possible; with utmost delicacy”)

Compounds

• akal halus (“cunning; clever subtlety”)
• bahasa halus (“polite language; refined speech”)
• budi halus (“noble character; refined manners”)
• dunia halus (“the unseen world; the spirit realm”)
• gula halus (“castor sugar; refined sugar”)
• makhluk halus (“spirit; ghost; supernatural entity”)
• pasir halus (“fine sand”)
• tepung halus (“fine flour”)

Idioms & phrases

• bermain halus (“to act subtly; to scheme behind the scenes”)
• halus budi bahasa (“exceedingly courteous and well-mannered”)

Descendants

• > Indonesian: halus
• → Javanese: alus

Further reading

• "halus" in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu (PRPM) [Malay Literary Reference Centre (PRPM)] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017
  (also see "halus" at PRPM first version)