pacar

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈpat͡ʃar/ [ˈpa.t͡ʃar]
• Rhymes: -at͡ʃar
• Syllabification: pa‧car

From Malay pacar (“henna”).

pacar (plural pacar-pacar)

1. henna
   1. a shrub, Lawsonia inermis, having fragrant reddish flowers

      Synonym: inai

   2. the leaves of this plant

      Synonym: inai

   3. a reddish plant substance, prepared from the dried leaves of this plant, used for temporary tattoos and hair coloring. Hair colorings range from bright red to earth brown to near black

From Betawi pacar, from Malay pacar. Related to etymology 1, due to fact that spouse made their nails red with pacar before marriage in Betawi tradition.

pacar (plural pacar-pacar)

1. (informal) a male or female partner in an unmarried romantic relationship; boyfriend; girlfriend

   Synonyms: bokin, kekasih, teman lelaki, teman wanita

   Hyponyms: cewek, cowok

• “pacar”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

pacar

1. romanization of ꦥꦕꦂ

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

Sense of "lover" extended due to fact that spouse dye their nails red with the material before marriage in Bruneian and Betawi traditions.

pacar (Jawi spelling ڤاچر, plural pacar-pacar or pacar²)

1. (Brunei, Sarawak) henna^[1]
   1. a shrub, Lawsonia inermis, having fragrant reddish flowers

      Synonym: inai

   2. the leaves of this plant

      Synonym: inai

   3. a reddish plant substance, prepared from such dried leaves of this plant, used for temporary tattoos and hair coloring. Hair colorings range from bright red to earth brown to near black
2. (informal) partner in an unmarried romantic relationship; boyfriend; girlfriend

   Synonyms: pasangan, kekasih, (male) teman lelaki, (female) teman wanita

   Hyponyms: cewek, cowok

• Pijnappel, Jan (1875), “ڤاچر patjar”, in Maleisch-Hollandsch woordenboek, John Enschede en Zonen, Frederik Muller, page 48
• Wilkinson, Richard James (1901), “ڤاچر pachar”, in A Malay-English dictionary, Hong Kong: Kelly & Walsh limited, page 443
• Wilkinson, Richard James (1932), “pachar”, in A Malay-English dictionary (romanised), volume II, Mytilene, Greece: Salavopoulos & Kinderlis, page 190

• "pacar" in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu (PRPM) [Malay Literary Reference Centre (PRPM)] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017