Where does “kurang lebih” come from?

kurang lebih (Indonesian) comes from Indonesian lebih, from Malay lebih, from Proto-Malayic *ləbih, from Proto-Austronesian *ləbiq.

kurang lebih (Indonesian): more or less

Definitions

  1. more or less

Ancestry of “kurang lebih”, step by step

kurang lebih traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Indonesian lebih

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Indonesianlebihmore, to a greater degree or extent
2Malaylebihremainder
3Proto-Malayic*ləbih—
4Proto-Austronesian*ləbiq—

via Indonesian kurang

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Indonesiankurangless
2Malaykurangless; fewer; not enough
3Proto-Malayic*kuraŋ—
Every word from Proto-Austronesian *ləbiq →Every word from Proto-Malayic *ləbih →Every word from Malay lebih →