Where does “apa macam” come from?

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

apa macam (Malay): how

Definitions

  1. how

Ancestry of “apa macam”, step by step

apa macam traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Malay macam

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

via Malay apa

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malayapawhat; "introduces a question"
2Proto-Malayicapawhat
3Proto-Austronesian*apa—
Every word from Arabic مَقَام →Every word from Persian مقام →Every word from Arabic مقام →