មេមត់
mei mŭət
The Khmer word for "witch" is មេមត់ (mei mŭət). If unsure, use មេមត់. Wiktionary also lists ឌាក៌នី (diəkenii).
Meaning: person who uses magic (noun)
Ways to say it
| Khmer | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| មេមត់ | mei mŭət |
| ឌាក៌នី | diəkenii |
The term refers to a person who uses magic.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is mei mŭət.
Did you know?
- In Cambodian folklore, the concept of a witch often overlaps with 'spirit healers' who can both cause and cure illnesses. A person described as a មេមត់ might be feared by some but secretly visited by others for medicinal help.
- While មេមត់ is the common term, the word ឌាក៌នី comes from the Sanskrit word 'ḍākinī', referring to celestial or demonic beings in Indic traditions. This highlights the deep influence of ancient Indian religion on Khmer terminology for the supernatural.
- The word មេមត់ begins with មេ, which usually means 'mother' or 'female head' of a group. This implies that the archetype of a witch in Khmer culture is traditionally a female leader of occult practices.
Examples in context
- តួអង្គមេមត់នៅក្នុងរឿងនេះគួរឱ្យខ្លាចណាស់។tou ang me mot nov knong rueang nih kuor oy khlach nah.The witch character in this story is very scary.
- គេនិយាយថាគាត់គឺជាមេមត់ម្នាក់។ke niyay tha koat ku chea me mot mnak.They say that she is a witch.
Example conversation
Ratanak and Sreynii are watching a fantasy movie.
- ស្រីនី Sreynyមើលមេមត់នោះចុះ!meul me-mot noh choh!Look at that witch!
- រតនៈ Ratanakនាងពិតជាគួរឱ្យខ្លាចមែន។neang pit chea kuor oy khlach men.She is truly scary.
- ស្រីនី Sreynyតើនាងមានមន្តអាគមអ្វីខ្លះ?tae neang mean mont-akoum avei khlah?What kind of magic does she have?
- រតនៈ Ratanakខ្ញុំមិនដឹងទេ ស្រីនី។khnhom min deng te, Sreynii.I don't know, Sreynii.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “witch” translations and entries មេមត់, ឌាក៌នី, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ឌាក៌នី, មេមត់, CC BY-SA 4.0.
