Salak

//səˈlæk// name, noun

name, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Any salak palm (Salacca zalacca), native to Indonesia; also called.
  2. 2
    Pear-shaped fruit of this palm; also called snake fruit.
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname.

Example

More examples

"I went to Bali for temple-gazing, as I was an aspiring amateur archeologist. Also, I had an interest in indigenous languages like Indonesian and Balinese. I looked there for Balinese linguistics books, but to no avail. There were craftsmen, though, who sold Balinese calligraphy written on bamboo or paper. I knew that the carvings and objects in the temples had esoteric meanings, but only experts knew. I enjoyed eating exotic tropical fruits in Bali, as I first tried the "salak" snake fruit. Bali was a Hindu oasis in the largely Muslim country of Indonesia. In a souvenir shop, I met a lady vendor who had an interest in Buddhism. I befriended a hotel worker named Made Budi Artawan, and I had an avocado shake with him in a cafe near my hotel."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Malay salak.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Polish Salak, Czech and Hungarian Salák and Slovak Šalák, all from a pet form of the name Salamon. Compare Solomon, Salomon.

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.