Etymograph

English

lebai

Lebai comes from Malay lebai ‘someone who knows a lot about religion, a…’, and goes back to Tamil லப்பை ‘Labbay, a class of Tamil Muslims found chiefly…’.

  1. Tamilmodernலப்பை‘Labbay, a class of Tamil Muslims found chiefly on the coasts of South India’
  2. Malaymodernlebai‘someone who knows a lot about religion, a religious expert’
  3. Englishtodaysame form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Tamilmodernலப்பை‘Labbay, a class of Tamil Muslims found chiefly on the coasts of South India’
  2. Malaymodernlebai‘someone who knows a lot about religion, a religious expert’
  3. Englishtodaysame form

The story

The extended sense of "a supporter or member of PAS" was used by opponents to mock the conservative Islamic party's obsession with religious issues, carried over from Malay-language usage.

Every English word from Tamil லப்பை

Today it means

noun A very devout person who behaves in a hypocritical manner.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Tamil லப்பை / lebai

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