sekali
English
Alternative forms
- (misspelling) scarly
Etymology
Semantic shift from Malay sekali (“once”).
Pronunciation
Adverb
sekali (not comparable)
- (Singlish) What if, lest (something problematic or unanticipated happens)
- Synonym: (Manglish, Singlish) later
- 2004, Bug [pseudonym], soc.culture.singapore (Usenet):
- […] the instruction all says to deep fry them, so dared not buy - sekali raw dough, how to eat?
- 2004 January 2, Colin Goh, The Sunday Times, Singapore, page L12:
- […] make sure he’s activated the right ringtone, sekali you, ahem, raise the wrong hopes.
- (Singlish, at the beginning of a clause) Suddenly and unexpectedly.
See also
Indonesian
Etymology
Inherited from Malay sekali. Equivalent to From se- + kali.
Pronunciation
- (Standard Indonesian) IPA(key): /səˈkali/ [səˈka.li]
- Syllabification: se‧ka‧li
Adverb
sêkali
- once
- Aku pergi ke sana sebulan sekali.
- I go there once a month
- very
- Synonym: sangat
- Pelajaran itu sulit sekali.
- The subject is very difficult.
Further reading
- “sekali” 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.
Malay
Etymology
Pronunciation
- (Standard Malaysian) IPA(key): /sə.ka.li/
- Rhymes: -i
Adverb
sĕkali (Jawi spelling سکالي)
- once
- Ambil ubat ini sehari sekali sehingga sembuh.
- Take this medicine once a day until you're cured.
- very
- Indah sekali pemandangan di sini.
- What a beautiful view we have here.
Synonyms
See also
Further reading
- “sekali” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.