Etymology: From Arabic "ظلمة" (ḍulmah), meaning "darkness" or "gloom", with possible influence from Malay "gelam", meaning "dark" or " obscure". The word "delem" has undergone phonological and orthographic changes as it was borrowed into the Boie'nen language.
Example Sentence Breakdown:
○ Mari'gen (very) + a (linking particle) + delem (darkness) = Mari'gena-delem (very dark)
○ Ka (prefix indicating last night) + ga'bi (night) = Kaga'bi (last night)
○ Lowas (outside)
○ Da' (absence or none or not here) + bolan (moon or month) = Da'bolan (without moon or in the absence of the moon)
Notes:
○ The word "delem" can be used to describe a range of situations, from the physical absence of light to a more metaphorical sense of darkness or obscurity.
○ The prefix "ka-" is used to indicate a past event or situation, in this case, "last night".
○ The word "da'" is a negator that indicates absence or non-existence, and is used here to describe the absence of the moon.
Etymological Analysis: The word "delem" is likely a borrowing from Arabic "ظلمة" (ḍulmah), which means "darkness" or "gloom". The Arabic word is derived from the root "ظ-ل-م" (ḍ-l-m), which carries the meaning of "darkness", "obscurity", or "gloom". As the word "delem" was borrowed into the Boie'nen language, it underwent phonological and orthographic changes, resulting in the current form.
The possible influence from Malay "gelam", meaning "dark" or "obscure", may have also contributed to the development of the word "delem" in Boie'nen. The Malay language has had significant contact with Arabic, and it is possible that the word "gelam" was itself borrowed from Arabic or influenced by Arabic loanwords.