Where does “semacam” come from?

semacam (Indonesian) comes from Indonesian macam, from Malay macam, from Arabic مقام, from Persian مقام, from Arabic مَقَام — place, position, state.

semacam (Indonesian): Such as, like; typical of

Definitions

  1. Such as, like; typical of

Ancestry of “semacam”, step by step

semacam traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Indonesian macam

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Indonesianmacamtype, kind, sort; way
2Malaymacamlike; type, kind, sort; way
3Arabicمقامplace, spot
4Persianمقامplace, position, dignity, rank, office
5Arabicمَقَامplace, position, state

via Indonesian se

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Indonesianse—
Every word from Arabic مَقَام →Every word from Persian مقام →Every word from Arabic مقام →