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  1. Topics
  2. Old Indonesian / Malay
  3. misti

Misti

/id/
INDONESIAN•1 meaning found
1
Verified
neutral
Old Indonesian / Malay
national
Verified

Definition & Context

“Misti” (Van Ophuijsen) means must, ought to, obligated, or necessary to do something, indicating a necessity or an obligation. This word signifies that an action is unavoidable or an absolute requirement.

Usage Notes or Etymology

The word “misti” is an informal variant of “mesti”. The word “mesti” itself originates from the Portuguese “mister” or “meste”, meaning 'need' or 'must'. The use of “misti” was commonly found in Low Malay or Bazaar Malay literature during the “tempo doeloe” (colonial era), reflecting phonological and morphological adaptations in the daily conversations of indigenous and peranakan communities at that time.

Real-world Usage

Bagaemana kita misti mengarang soerat² itoe? (Bagaimana kita mesti mengarang surat-surat itu?)

English Translation
How must we compose those letters?

Representative of real-world usage and contextual accuracy.

Verified Evidence1

  • Boekoe Soerat-Soerat (TH. A. Du Mosch)
    Boekoe Soerat-Soerat (TH. A. Du Mosch)

    Boekoe Soerat-Soerat (TH. A. Du Mosch)

    Imageliterature
    Verify Context
Reviewed 4 days ago

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