Where does “barang kemas” come from?

barang kemas (Malay) comes from Malay barang — marker used to denote indefiniteness.

barang kemas (Malay): jewellery

Definitions

  1. jewellery

Ancestry of “barang kemas”, step by step

barang kemas traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Malay barang

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malaybarangmarker used to denote indefiniteness

via Malay kemas

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malaykemastidy; neat
Every word from Malay barang
barang kemas — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer