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pontianak

1 American  
[pon-tee-ah-nahk] / ˌpɒn tiˈɑ nɑk /

noun

  1. jelutong.

Pontianak 2 American  
[pon-tee-ah-nahk] / ˌpɒn tiˈɑ nɑk /

noun

  1. a seaport on W Kalimantan (Borneo), in central Indonesia.

Pontianak 1 British  
/ ˌpɒntɪˈɑːnæk /

noun

  1. a port in Indonesia, on W coast of Borneo almost exactly on the equator. Pop: 464 534 (2000)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
pontianak 2 British  
/ ˌpɒntɪˈɑːnæk /

noun

  1. (in Malay folklore) a female vampire; the ghost of a woman who has died in childbirth

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of pontianak

First recorded in 1910–15; originally, jelutong from the region around Pontianak

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

If it’s difficult to get a sense of the fears that initially inspired tales of the toyol or the pontianak, Folklore reminds us that ancient fears don’t necessarily have modern solutions.

From Slate • Feb. 1, 2019

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.