Where does “tukang isyarat” come from?

tukang isyarat (Indonesian) comes from Indonesian isyarat, from Malay isyarat, from Arabic إِشَارَة — to show or display; sign.

tukang isyarat (Indonesian): signalman (somebody employed to operate the signals and points of a railway)

Definitions

  1. signalman (somebody employed to operate the signals and points of a railway)

Ancestry of “tukang isyarat”, step by step

tukang isyarat traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Indonesian isyarat

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Indonesianisyaratsign
2Malayisyaratsign, gesture, signal
3Arabicإِشَارَةto show or display; sign

via Indonesian tukang

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Indonesiantukangcraftsman
Every word from Arabic إِشَارَة →Every word from Malay isyarat →Every word from Indonesian isyarat →