Mahasena (महासेन)
Sanskrit. ‘Having a great army’,
‘General’, or ‘Commander of a
large force’. A nickname for
Skanda
(fig.),
i.e.
Karttikeya (fig.).
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Maha Shivratri (महाशिवरात्रि)
See
Shivratri.
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Mahasingkhara (มหาสิงขร)
Thai. Name
of a city or kingdom in the
Ramakien,
which was ruled over by the
demon king
Thao
Unnaraat (fig.).
See also
LIST OF RAMAKIEN CHARACTERS & NAMES.
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mahat
(महत्)
Sanskrit. The great intelligence produced during creation. It is
related to the word ‘manas’, meaning ‘mind, intellect,
understanding’.
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Mahathat
(มหาธาตุ)
Thai.
‘Great relic’. Term used in Thailand to name the most
important relic shrines which usually hold a relic of the lord Buddha.
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Mahathat Chedi Ming Molih Sri Burapah
(มหาธาตุเจดีย์มิ่งโมลีศรีบูรพา)
Thai. Name of a Buddhist temple in the
tambon
Nong Khahng Khok of
Chonburi.
READ ON.
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Mahathep (มหาเทพ)
Thai. ‘Great god’. A designation
sometimes used for
Shiva.
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mahatma (महात्मा)
Sanskrit.
‘Great soul’. Honorary title given to sages and
teachers, such as
Gandhi.
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Mahatthai (มหาดไทย)
Thai. Since 1 April 1892 the name stands for the ‘Ministry of the
Interior’, but in the
Ayutthaya,
Thonburi and early
Rattanakosin
Periods,
it was
the name for the office responsible for the provinces North and East
of the capital and led by a
Chao Phraya, who had direct territorial
responsibilities. The term Mahatthai is also used to refer to its
minister, whose office and title were conferred by the King. In full
also referred to as Krasuang Mahatthai (กระทรวงมหาดไทย). See
also
Damrong Rachanuphaap.
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Mahatthai Uthit (มหาดไทยอุทิศ)
Thai. ‘Devoted
Mahatthai’.
The official name of a historical bridge
near
Pom Maha Kaan
(fig.)
and which in Thai is fully known as
Sapaan
Mahatthai Uthit.
READ ON.
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Mahavairochana (महावैरोचन)
Sanskrit.
‘Great
illumination’ or ‘great sun’. The
Adi-Buddha.
One of the five
jinas or transcendental
buddhas from
Vajrayana Buddhism. He is positioned in the middle of a
mandala and
makes the gesture of supreme wisdom by holding the right index finger in the
left fist with the thumb pointing upward. His signs are the wheel and the sun.
Sometimes transcribed Mahavairocana
and also known as
Vairochana.
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Mahavamsa
(மகாவம்சம்,
महावंश)
Tamil. Singhalese chronicle in
Pali containing the
history of
Buddhism in
Ceylon from its beginning in the 3rd century BC to the early 4th
century AD. In Thai
Mahawong.
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Mahavir (มหาวีร)
Thai for
Mahavira.
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Mahavira
(महावीर)
Sanskrit.
‘Great hero’. Title for the last of the twenty-four omniscient
great teachers
called
tirthankaras and the founder of
Jainism.
He was a contemporary of the
Buddha. In
Thai
Mahavir.
See also
Vardhamana.
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Maha Wizaya Zedi (မဟာဝိဇယစေတီ)
Burmese. Name of a Buddhist
temple in
Yangon's Dagon Township,
which was built in 1980 AD.
READ ON.
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mahawithayahlai (มหาวิทยาลัย)
Thai for ‘university’. See
education.
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Mahawithayahlai Maha Chulalongkon Ratcha
Withayahlai (มหาวิทยาลัย มหาจุฬาลงกรณราชวิทยาลัย)
Thai.
‘Chulalongkorn
the Great Royal Seminary University’. Name
of a public Buddhist university in Thailand.
READ ON.
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Mahawong (มหาวงศ์)
Thai name for the
Mahavamsa, the
Singhalese chronicle that traces the history of
Buddhism
in Sri Lanka.
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Mahayaan (มหายาน)
Thai name for
Mahayana.
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Mahayana (महायान)
Sanskrit.
‘Greater vehicle’. The branch of
Buddhism whose believers rely on
bodhisattvas for
their salvation from the endless cycle of
rebirths and their aim to become a
buddha.
This sect of Buddhism spread from northern India in the 2nd century AD and is
mainly practiced in countries of
northeastern
Asia, including Tibet, Nepal,
China, Mongolia, Korea and Japan, but also in
Vietnam and
sometimes also in
Malaysia, Indonesia,
Burma,
Thailand, and
Cambodia,
though the latter three now practice mainly
Theravada or
Hinayana Buddhism, the other main branch of Buddhism.
During prayers, Thai Mahayana monks wear a long orange ceremonial
robe (fig.), akin to that of Theravada Buddhist monks (fig.),
but otherwise they are dressed
in a more leisurely outfit,
that consists of an orange jacket and
long baggy
kaangkaeng le
trousers (fig.).
However,
the dress for
Mahayana Buddhist monks and novices differs
greatly per country (fig.).
In Vietnam, for instance, they wear a pale grey outfit (fig.),
which is covered by an orange-brown to dark brown robe (fig.) during
prayers (fig.),
or when travelling.
In Thai called
Mahayaan.
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Mahayogi
(महायोगी)
Sanskrit.
‘Great
ascetic’. A name of
Shiva.
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Mahayommayak (มหายมยักษ์)
Thai. Name of a
yak, i.e. a demon
character, in the Ramakien,
who has a
red complexion.
READ ON.
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Mahazedi (မဟာစေတီ)
1. Burmese. ‘Great
Zedi’
or ‘Great
Stupa’. Name of
a Buddhist temple in
Bago.
READ ON.
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2. Burmese. ‘Great
Zedi’
or ‘Great
Stupa’. Name of
a 13th century Buddhist
pagoda
in
Bagan.
READ ON.
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Mahendraparvata (महेंद्रपर्वत)
Hindi-Sanskrit. ‘Mountain of the Great
Indra’. One of the seven mountain chains of the
Himalayas and the early name for Phnom Kulen in Cambodia.
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Mahesvara (महेश्वर,
มเหศวร)
Sanskrit-Thai.
‘Great
Lord’. A name for
Shiva.
Also Maheshwara. The feminine form is known as
Mahesvari (fig.).
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Mahesvari (माहेश्वरी, มาเหศวรี)
Sanskrit-Thai.
The
shakti
or feminine energy of
Mahesvara, i.e. a form of
Shiva,
and one of the seven
Matris.
Also known as Rudrani, i.e. the female form of
Rudra,
and alternatively spelled Maheshwari.
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mah han bai yah soob (ม้าหั่นใบยาสูบ)
Thai. ‘Bench to cut tobacco leaves’. See
tobacco cutter.
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mahiddhika
Pali term meaning ‘of great magical power’.
It is related to the Sanskrit word
Maharddhika from
Tantrism
or
Vajrayana
Buddhism, which means ‘very
powerful’ or ‘great supernatural power’.
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Mahidol Adulyadej (มหิดล อดุลยเดช)
Thai. The father of
Ananda Mahidol
(Rama VIII)
and
Bhumipol Adulyadej (Rama IX)
and husband to Sangwan Talabhat, the Princess Mother,
Sri Nagarindra
(fig.).
He was the 69th child of King
Chulalongkorn (Rama V)
with Queen Sawang Wattana (Savang Vadhana) of whom he
was the 7th child. Besides two kings he also fathered a daughter,
i.e. Princess
Galyani
Watthana. He has the title
Prince of Songkhla,
and though educated as a MD, he was reportedly unable to fully
practice his profession, as direct contact between royalty and
commoners was at the time –at least officially– strictly prohibited.
With his princely status making it near-impossible to practice in
the capital, he went to work in a missionary-run hospital in
Chiang Mai, where he became a resident doctor. He was born on 1 January 1892
and died untimely from kidney failure on 24 September
1929. The Prince is portrayed on a postage stamp issued in 1983, to
mark
the
60th Anniversary of the cooperation
between the Siriraj Faculty of Medicine and the Rockefeller
Foundation, because in 1920, the Prince was the Thai Government's
delegate to negotiate with the Rockefeller Foundation for medical
aid (fig.).
He has appeared on a number of Thai postage stamps, most recently
for the occasion of the 120th anniversary of his birthday, in 2012 (fig.).
He has been given the title
Adulyadejvikrom.
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Mahidon Adunyadet (มหิดล อดุลยเดช)
Thai. Pronunciation of
Mahidol
Adulyadej.
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mahingsa (มหิงสา)
Thai pronunciation for
mahisha,
buffalo.
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Mahinthara (มหินธรา)
Thai-Sanskrit compound
of
maha, which means
‘great’ or ‘mighty’, and
Inthara
which is Thai for
‘Indra’.
However, the compound is in literature also translated as ‘great
man’ and
‘lord
of the land’
or ‘lord
of the mountain’,
due to Indra's heavenly home
Sumeru,
on
Mount Meru.
It freely translates perhaps best as the
‘Great Indra’
or ‘Lord Indra’.
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mahisha (महिष)
Sanskrit. ‘Buffalo’. The mount of
Yama.
In Thai pronounced
mahingsa.
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Mahishasura (महिषासुर)
Sanskrit. ‘Buffalo demon’. An
asura or demon of darkness, with immense powers, who after continuously
changing shape eventually transformed into a buffalo (mahisha), and thus got slain by
Durga in her
fearsome form of
Chamunda, who is
also referred to as
Mahishasuramardini. The episode is described in the
Devi Mahatmyam,
yet is also found in the
Mahabharata,
though according to the
latter,
Mahishasura is slain by
Skanda. The
event is
remembered during
Vijayadazaami (fig.),
i.e.
the last day of
the annual
Hindu
festival of
Navaratri.
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Mahishasuramardini (महिषासुरमर्दिनि)
Sanskrit.
‘Slayer of the
buffalo demon’. The name given to
Durga when she is fighting
Mahishasura
(fig.), the buffalo demon that represents the forces of evil and darkness.
In this form, she is also known as
Chamunda. See
also
Devi Mahatmyam.
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Mahison Rachareuthay (มหิศร ราชหฤทัย)
Thai. Royal name of the 77th son
of King
Mongkut,
i.e. King
Rama IV,
whom he begot with his
consort Huang (ห่วง).
READ ON.
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mahk (หมาก)
1. Thai name for the
betel palm and its fruit the
betel nut.
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2.
Thai board game or a game played with marbles, dry beans, nuts or
fruit stones, such as
mahk khum
and
mahk ruk.
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mah kahn kluay (ม้าก้านกล้วย)
Thai. ‘Banana stem horse’. Name of a traditional Thai children's game from
the past in which players run each other, whilst holding a banana
stem (kahn
kluay) that is carried over the shoulder
with a string and held between the legs (fig.), as if straddling an imaginary horse (mah
-
fig.).
First a banana stem is selected and its leaf is peeled away, leaving
only the tip for decoration, like a horsetail. Then the head of the
horse is made from another piece of banana stem of about 20
centimeters long (fig.). This is slightly cut on both sides of the top, to
create two ears, and attached to the opposite side of the ‘horsetail’, pierced with a small piece of
bamboo to keep it in
place. Then a string, usually made from banana stem fibres, is
attached near the tail and the head, or –alternatively– at the head
and neck.
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mahk daeng (หมากแดง)
Thai.
‘Red
betel palm’. A palm tree with a reddish trunk up to 6
meters high and the scientific Latin name Cyrtostachys renda, and
Cyrtostachys lakka, a similar but slightly shorter species. It is
commonly known as Lipstick Palm. Often seen in
gardens.
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mahk khum (หมากขุม)
Thai. ‘Cavity board game’. A traditional board game from southern
Thailand.
READ ON.
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mah klaeb (ม้าแกลบ)
Thai. ‘Chaff horse’ or ‘husk horse’. Name of a small
horse, which in English is known as Thai Pony. Fully grown adults
are between 122 and 142 centimeters and weigh around 360 kilograms.
The Thai Pony is a hybrid, resulting from crossbreeding between
Mongolian and Asian horses. It came to Thailand with minority groups
that migrated from
China.
People in the North, train these horses to trot according to
instructions given by a horn, with the intend to familiarize the
animals with loud noise, so that they won't get scared too easily
when out and about. This type of horse is especially used by hill
tribe people, both as beast of burden and as mount (fig.). Also named
mah look kaew,
after the
Poi Look Kaew ceremony, in which it
is used. See also
phra khi mah bintabaat,
mah
and
WATCH VIDEO.
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mahk ruk (หมากรุก)
Thai. ‘Invading board game’ or ‘advancing board game’. Designation
for both international chess, which derives from
the ancient Indian strategy game
chaturanga, i.e. the common ancestor of
chess. The name is also used
for its local variant known in English as
Thai chess (fig.).
Besides the many local varieties of chessboard, Thai shops tend to sell foreign
chessboards imported from
China
(fig.),
Vietnam (fig.)
and other Asian countries, including
Burma
(fig.),
where besides the local variant of Thai chess (fig.)
yet another local version exists, which is known as
sittuyin.
Besides this, local markets and night bazaars
usually have a variety of mass-produced chessboards on offer,
sometimes even small-sized
travel games and souvenir gadgets (fig.).
See also
mahk.
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mahk sum (หมากสุ่ม)
Thai. Name for a tray
with a stand on which
phum mahk offerings (fig.)
are placed. It consists of an ornamental
phaan-like
tray,
reminiscent of a
khan kaew,
though square in shape and
decorated with four
naga or
stylized naga-like figures,
one on each corner and whose tail ends meet at the top, forming a
quadruple arch.
The name is sometimes used for the
phum mahk as a whole.
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mah look kaew (ม้าลูกแก้ว)
Thai. ‘Crystal horse’. A Thai designation for the
Thai Pony
(fig.),
named after the
Poi Look Kaew ceremony, in which it
is used. Also known as
mah klaeb.
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mah mai (หมาไม้)
Thai. ‘Wood dog’ or ‘tree dog’. Name for the
Yellow-throated Marten.
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mah mangkon (ม้ามังกร)
Thai. ‘Dragon-horse’. Another name for
mah nin mangkon.
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mah nahm (ม้าน้ำ)
Thai for ‘seahorse’. A
small, upright fish, with a head akin to that of a horse, and of the
genus Hippocampus, which drives from the Greek hippokampos (ἱππόκαμπος)
. Though an endangered animal, it is still caught
in the wild for use in Chinese traditional medicine, as an
aphrodisiac and as a treatment for a
whole range of ailments, stretching from heart disease and asthma,
to impotence. And alas, even though there is no scientific proof for
any real therapeutic value,
medicinal seahorses (fig.)
can still commonly be found for sale in dried form, in
Bangkok's
Chinatown.
In seahorses, it are the males that get pregnant. The female
transfers her eggs to the male's abdominal pouch, which is made of
modified skin, triggering the male to release sperm as they enter,
thus fertilizing the eggs and then incubating them for 24 days until
they are hatch. seahorses are also associated with
the story of
Phra Aphaimanih,
a Thai epic story in verse about
an underwater kingdom.
In the seas of Thailand 5 species of seahorse are commonly found,
i.e. the Common Seahorse, Estuary Seahorse or Spotted Seahorse
(Hippocampus kuda), known in Thai as mah nahm dam (ม้าน้ำดํา); the
Spiny Seahorse or Hedgehog Seahorse (Hippocampus spinosissimus),
known in Thai as mah nahm hnaam (ม้าน้ำหนาม); the Longnose Seahorse
or Three-spot Seahorse (Hippocampus trimaculatus), known in Thai as
mah nahm sahm jut (ม้าน้ำสามจุด); the Pygmy Seahorse or Bargibant's
Seahorse (Hippocampus bargibanti), known in
Thai as mah nahm khrae (ม้าน้ำแคระ);
and the Great Seahorse or Kellogg's Seahorse (Hippocampus kelloggi),
known in Thai as mah nahm yak (ม้าน้ำยักษ์).
The temporal Hippocampus lobe in the human brain is named after this
sea creature as its shape resembles a seahorse.
See also
THEMATIC STREET LIGHT (1)
and
(2).
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Ma Hne Galay (မနှဲကလေး)
Burmese.
‘Little
Lady with the Flute’.
Another name for
Shin Nemi.
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mah nin mangkon (ม้านิลมังกร)
Thai. ‘Dark blue-black (nin)
dragon-horse’. Name of a mythological animal in the story of
Phra Aphaimanih. It is partly horse (mah) and partly dragon (mangkon).
It is the mount of
Sut Saakhon.
Also mah mangkon and in English
dragon-horse.
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mahogany
See
mahokkanih.
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mahokkanih (มะฮอกกานี)
Thai for ‘mahogany’. Name for a large tree of which there are two
genuine species, which are known by the botanical names Swietenia mahagoni
and Swietenia macrophylla.
Besides a variety of common names, the first species is known by the
common name Small-leaf Mahogany, in Thai mahokkanih bai lek (มะฮอกกานีใบเล็ก),
whilst the latter variety is commonly known as Big-leaf Mahogany, in
Thai mahokkanih bai yai (มะฮอกกานีใบใหญ่).
Mahogany is famed for its dark-coloured hardwood and is
most easily recognized by its seed pods, woody capsules that enclose
numerous long, flat, winged seeds (fig.),
which are released when the pods breaks open from below.
In the blooming season, from March to July, the tree has tiny, pale greenish flowers,
that spread a strong yet pleasant fragrance. These flowers are so
tiny that they are hardly noticeable when on the tree, but they can
often be seen scattered on the ground beneath the tree. Though it
used to be mostly cultivated for its wood, it is now also grown as
an ornamental tree and there are several roads in
Bangkok that
are lined by this tree, e.g. around
Chitralada Palace in
Dusit and along the path at the
northern entrance of
King
Rama IX Royal Park.
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mahorateuk (มโหระทึก)
See
klong mahorateuk.
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mahori (มโหรี)
Thai. An orchestra chiefly composed of
stringed instruments.
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Mahosot Chadok (มโหสถชาดก)
Thai-Sanskrit. Name for one of the
Totsachat,
i.e. life stories of the
ten last
incarnations of
the
Buddha,
in which the
bodhisattva
was born as
Mahosot, a wise prince born with a golden complexion.
READ ON.
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Mahothon (มโหทร)
1.
Thai. ‘One
with a big belly’. Term derived
from Sanskrit and used in
Hindu
iconography
to refer to someone with a big belly, such as
Ganesha.
See also
lampothon.
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2.
Thai. Name of an
important
yak
character
from the
Ramakien, who
belongs to the
army of
Longka,
i.e. the city or kingdom of
Totsakan.
He has a green complexion, wide open eyes called
tah phlohng
(fig.), and wears a golden crown with a bulbous
tip, which is decorated with pieces of dark green glass. He is
very similar in appearance to
Phiphek,
another yak with a
green complexion and a similar golden crown with a bulbous tip, but
which is more elongated and usually decorated with pieces of dark
blue glass (fig.),
and who has eyes of which
the upper eyelid partly covers the eyeball and that are known as
tah jorakae (fig.).
Mahothon usually appears in pair (fig.)
with
Paowanasoon (fig.),
another yak with a very similar crown, but with a white complexion (fig.).
See also
LIST OF RAMAKIEN CHARACTERS & NAMES.
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mahout
English-Hindi. Herd, caretaker and keeper of an
elephant. In
Thailand
mahouts often belong to the
Karen hill tribe
(fig.) and are usually assigned to a young elephant
when still a young boy, allowing them to stay
attached to one
another throughout
their lives.
Also transcribed mahaut and sometimes
called kornak. In Thai,
kwan chang.
WATCH VIDEO (1),
(2),
(3)
and
(4).
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Mah Pihk (ม้าปีก)
Thai. ‘Winged
Horse’.
Name for a
mythological creature, that consists of a horse with
wings, and which is able to fly.
READ ON.
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mahrah (หมาร่า)
Thai name for the wasp family Sphecidae, which includes mud daubers,
digger wasps and other types, that all fall under the category of
Thread-waisted Wasps (fig.).
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Mahuna Phaya (မနူဟာဘုရား)
Burmese. ‘Pagoda
of Mahuna’.
Name of a Buddhist temple in the village of Myinkaba, near
Bagan.
READ ON.
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mah yohk (ม้าโยก)
Thai for ‘rocking horse’. Though rocking horses are perhaps not
originally Thai, the way they are produced in Thailand, i.e. from
old cart wheels, is definitely an original idea. These unique
rocking horses are generally known as mah yohk lo kwian (ม้าโยกล้อเกวียน).
See also
kwian.
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mai (ไม้)
Thai. Generic name and classifier for
any plant or tree, as well as for wood, a piece of log, lumber,
timber, or plank. The word is also often used as part of a
compound.
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mai (ไหม)
1. Thai for
silk.
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2.
Thai for
silkworm.
Also called
dakdae.
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mai faad
khao (ไม้ฟาดข้าว)
Thai. ‘Rice-thrashing
woods’. A set of wooden sticks connected by a piece of rope,
used like large pincers to grab bundles of rice, in order to beat
(trash) them and make the grains fall from the ears of the paddy (fig.).
The rope is attached through holes at the end of each stick and
fixed with a knot. The sticks are often made from
ruak and about 60-70 centimeters, whereas the rope is
about 50 centimeters long.
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mai hok hian (ไม้หกเหียน)
Thai.
‘Turning
six tree’. A small manipulated
tree or shrub.
READ ON.
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mai jan, mai chan (ไม้จันทน์)
Thai for
sandalwood.
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mai kaan haab (ไม้คานหาบ)
Thai. Flexible yet strong
bamboo wooden (mai) pole
used for carrying loads (kaan) across the shoulder (haab) as often seen in rural
Thailand and with itinerant food sellers. Also
kaan. Compare with
kaanhaam
and with
lao (fig.).
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mai kam ma-lo (ไม้กำมะลอ)
Thai.
‘Self-styled
tree’, ‘mock
tree’ or ‘bogus tree’.
A small, manipulated,
bonsai-like
tree
or shrub.
READ ON.
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mai khabuan (ไม้ขบวน)
Thai.
‘Procession
tree’.
A small,
bonsai-like
tree
or shrub.
READ ON.
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mai kham (ไม้ค้ำ)
Thai. ‘Support wood’. Name of
either a cut or carved wooden log, or a smaller natural stick, which
has been painted (fig.)
and is used to symbolically support
a sacred object or place. It is typically forked (Y-shaped) at the top and is most commonly seen placed under the
branches, or
against the trunk, of a
bodhi
tree, especially in northern Thailand. These sticks or logs are believed
to be auspicious, preventing hardship
and prolonging life. It is sometimes done as part of the
seubchatah ceremony and the wooden stick
or log is therefore also referred to as
mai kham
chatah.
Since they are usually painted, they are also called mai kham
see/sih
(สี),
i.e. ‘painted support wood’, though this is actually a
corruption of
mai kham sarih (ไม้ค้ำศรี), a name
used in
Lan Na
for these wooden supports and in which the word sarih,
spelled srih
(ศรี) but pronounced sarih
(สะหรี), in Thai has an unwritten
vowel ‘a’ whereas the word
sri
(ศรี), which has the exact same Thai
spelling, is normally pronounced srih, yet typically transliterated
sri, and more often than not is pronounced simply sih, in which the
second consonant, i.e. the ‘r’, is silent, hence the confusion with
the homonymous word
sih (สี).
The term sarih (ศรี)
derives from ton sarih (ต้นศรี), a northern
Thai word for
ton poh,
i.e. the bodhi tree, and likely derives itself from its respectful
name which in full is
ton
phra
sri
maha
poh
(ต้นพระศรีมหาโพธิ์).
According to local beliefs the tradition of offering mai kham supports or crutches
placed at the
east of the bodhi tree will bring forth an abundant offspring; those
placed to the west will bring healing from disease; and if
all four sides are supported, it will fulfill worldly desires and
bring treasure. Hence, these twigs or wooden sticks, that are used
symbolically as stilts or crutches, are believed to
symbolize support for the enduring nature of
Buddhism and
aim to bring about prosperity, while safeguarding the
donor's destiny. In recent years, with growing local tourism, there
has been a prevalent trend among certain groups of tourists to place
sticks in nature, especially under overhanging cliffs and rocks (fig.).
This has led to the growing phenomena of so-called Laan Mai Kham,
entire rows of wooden sticks that have been placed at the foot of
mountain ridges or underneath large boulders in numerous natural tourist
destinations.
See also
TRAVEL PICTURES.
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mai kham chatah (ไม้ค้ำชะตา)
See
mai kham.
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mai kham sarih (ไม้ค้ำศรี)
See
mai kham.
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mai khen
(ไม้เขน)
Thai.
‘Shield
tree’.
A small, manipulated tree
or shrub.
READ ON.
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mai kritsana (ไม้กฤษณา)
Thai.
Literally ‘Krishna
wood’.
Thai name for
agarwood.
See also
mai
and
Kritsana.
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mai kwaat dok yah (ไม้กวาดดอกหญ้า)
Thai. A traditional broom, made from natural grasses,
especially a roadside grass called
dok yah tong kong (ดอกหญ้าตองกง),
known in English as bamboo grass and tiger grass, with the botanical name
Thysanolaena latifolia, formerly Thysanolaena maxima, and nicknamed Asian broom
grass. The stalk of this grass is straight and divided into clear joints, akin
to bamboo. The broom is made of inflorescences that have already been shaken off
the fluff, then dried and sewn together, and finally attached to a long handle,
that is typically made from
bamboo. It is recorded that this
kind of broom making originated in the
amphur
Lab Lae (ลับแล) in
Uttaradit. They are usually offered for sale by
specialized broom vendors, often driving a motorized pushcart, a literal broom
wagon (fig.).
See also
dok yah (fig.).
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Mainland Serow
A species of cloven-hoofed mammal with the binomial name
Capricornis sumatraensis, that belongs to the family Bovidae. It is sometimes
placed in the genus Naemorhedus and hence called Naemorhedus sumatraensis.
Beside this, it may commonly be called Southern Serow or Sumatran Serow. It is distributed from
India through southern
China,
to most of mainland Southeast Asia and some parts of Indonesia. It has a
relatively short body and long legs, with a grey to black bristly fur, sometimes
with a reddish brown tinge, especially on and around the legs. It has short,
slightly curved horns and a mane of long hairs, that are dark near the body, but
pale towards the top. At first glance, this animal is somewhat similar in
appearance to the male
Nilgai
(fig.). The Mainland Serow lives either solitary or in small
groups and feeds on grasses, shoots and leaves of a variety of plants. Being a
territorial dweller, it is has a fondness for its area and doesn't move much
when feeding. Mainland Serows mostly inhabit
forested, steep mountainous areas, including limestone cliffs, but are also
found in lowlands. They are mostly active at dusk and dawn, and spends the rest
of the day in dense vegetation and under overhanging cliffs. In Thai it is named
liang phah,
yiang phah,
yeuang,
gooram and
koram.
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mai non phrai (ไม้นอนไพร)
Thai. ‘Sleeping forest
wood’. Term for forest wood or tree trunks (fig.)
that have fallen and died naturally.
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mai phai (ไม้ไผ่)
Thai for
bamboo. Also
phai.
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mai sak (ไม้สัก)
Thai for
teak.
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mai tat (ไม้ดัด)
Thai. ‘Cut tree’ or ‘clipped tree’. A
generic Thai term for
khao mo,
i.e.
bonsai,
as well as for
topiary
and
other trees or shrubs
that are clipped ornamentally or otherwise. See also
penjing.
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Mai Thai (ไหมไทย)
Thai for hand-woven Thai
silk.
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maithuna (मैथुन)
Sanskrit.
‘Couple’ or ‘the act of pairing’. Copulating figurines or sculptures
as seen in
iconography
or used
as
amulets
(fig.).
Also spelled mithuna. In Thai methun. See also
yabyum.
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Maitreya (मैत्रेय)
Sanskrit. A
bodhisattva now living in
Tushita
heaven waiting to be reborn as a future
Buddha in order to restore faith. He is worshipped in both
Mahayana and
Theravada Buddhism, and is sometimes represented as a bodhisattva
dressed in royal attire ruling from his throne in heaven. He wears a
stupa in
his headdress and his
attributes may include a vase and wheel.
In
Tibet, he is depicted with his hand in the gesture or
mudra of turning the Wheel
of
dharma, i.e.
the
dharmachakra. He represents an
unbroken lineage of
buddhas through time,
appearing in the world to reveal the path to
Enlightenment.
In another form he is also known as
Huan Xi Fo or
Budai, the Chinese ‘smiling
buddha’ (fig.).
Besides this, he is sometimes considered to be one of the Eighteen
Arahats, though originally
those were to remain in the world to propagate the
dhamma until Maitreya came,
which is conflicting if he is one of them. He is however also one of
the
Eight Great Bodhisattvas
(fig.).
Also
Metraiy and
in Pali referred to as
Metteya.
See also
Angaja.
See also TRAVEL PICTURE.
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maiyarahb (ไมยราบ)
Thai. Name of an omnipresent weed that thrives well and is
found all over Thailand. This shrubby, sensitive plant has the scientific name
Mimosa pudica. Its leaves fold up with the slightest touch or when they come
into contact with rain. This is a self-defence system
that
scares
off any leaf-eating flying insect that may land on it, and also
prevents heavy raindrops from damaging this
rather fragile shrub. It also
protects itself from predators by small spikes underneath its stalks and leaves. It can sometimes grow to a height of
well over
two meters and blooms globular amethyst flowers. Due to its sensitivity it is nicknamed
mae ai (shy mother) and some varieties are known
as maiyarahb
yak (giant mimosa pudica)
and maiyarahb leuay (climbing mimosa pudica vine).
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Maiyarahp (ไมยราพณ์)
Thai. Name of a
yak, i.e. giant demon from the
Ramakien. He lived in the underworld and
was the son of
Mahayommayak (fig.)
and
Nang
Chantrapraphasih (จันทรประภาศรี), and a
nephew of
Totsakan.
Maiyarahp succeeded his father as the third king of
Meuang or
Krung
Badahn (บาดาล).
Despite his father's
instructions not to associate with his uncle, and a reminder of this
by his mother,
Maiyarahp sets out to join
Totskan in his batlle against
Rama.
He performed a ceremony to make a sleeping potion for
Rama's
army and he succeeded in putting everyone to sleep, but was later
killed by
Hanuman. He is
described as having a pale mauve complexion. In
iconography, he is usually depicted
with a
chadah-like, cockerel tail
crown, that seen from the side, is wavy and arches backward at the
tip (fig.). In architecture, he is usually portrayed in companion with
Virunchambang,
a yak
with a navy blue complexion. Both stand at the third door of the
Northern entrances of
Wat Phra Kaew.
In 2001, he was depicted on a Thai postage stamp, as part of a set
of four stamps with yak that guard temple
entrances (fig.).
Sometimes transcribed Mayarap or Maiyarap. In the
Ramayana,
he is known as Ahiravan or Mahiravan, king of the underworld, and is
described as a brother of
Ravana,
rather than a nephew like his counterpart in the Thai version.
See also
LIST OF RAMAKIEN CHARACTERS & NAMES.
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Ma Jow (ม่าโจ้ว)
Thai-Tae
Chew name for
Mazu.
In full also called Ma Jow Poh (ม่าโจ้วโป๋).
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mak (มรรค)
Thai.
‘Way, path’. One of the
Four
Noble Truths of Buddhism.
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makanayok (มรรคนายก)
Thai.
‘Temple liaison man’. A layman responsible for the
liaison between the clergy of a temple or monastery and the laity, a male
appointed to look after the interests of a temple or monastery. Also
maknayok.
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makara (मकर)
Sanskrit. A mythical aquatic creature symbolizing
‘water’ and ‘abundance’. In
architecture, especially in Khmer buildings, it may be found as a decoration on
lintels,
doorway frames, etc., sometimes in combination with
kala.
In Thailand, it is usually found on the balustrades of temple buildings, where a
naga (fig.)
is seen emerging from its mouth
(fig.). In India,
it has the body and tail of a fish, but
in Southeast Asia usually that of a reptile. Though, in Java its head is that of a
crocodile with a large jaw and an elephant's trunk. In
Champa, it has the
head of a lion with tusks and a trunk, or the head of a antelope with forelegs,
while in Myanmar,
its head is often supported by human-faced
lion-figures
(fig.),
yet it may also take the shape of a crocodile (fig.),
and if the latter also has a prehensile trunk-like snout it is known
as
magan
(fig.).
It is the emblem of
Kama and conveyance of the Hindu goddess
Ganga, as well as that of
Varuna.
In North Thailand, it is called
mom
and is the mount of the god of the storm
clouds,
Thep
Patchanna.
In Thailand, the makara also appears as the bow of certain
Royal Barges,
both ancient (fig.)
and modern (fig.).
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Makha (มาฆ)
Thai. The third lunar month corresponding to the sign of Capricorn in the
zodiac.
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makhaam (มะขาม)
Thai for
tamarind (fig.).
Besides this it is also known by different local names, depending on
the region: in
Kanchanaburi
it is known by its
Karen name
muang klohng, in
Korat it is called taloob, in the South it is named
khaam and in the province of
Surin
the
Khmer name
ampial is used. See also
makhaampom
and
makhaamthet.
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makhaam kaew (มะขามแก้ว)
Thai. ‘Crystal
tamarind’.
Name for a sweet made from tamarind (fig.).
Fresh tamarind fruits are first peeled and cleaned from their
inedible parts, i.e. fibres and pits.
The flesh of fruit is then made into a paste by mixing it with water
and put in a pot over a fire, to liquefy it. Then salt, pulverized
prik khee noo
chilies and sugar are added, and the brew is cooked until it becomes
sticky. After this, the mixture is cooled off and made into small
balls, which are coated by dipping and rolling them in granulated
sugar. They are a popular snack and a local specialty from
Phichit province,
amongst others. In English also referred to as tamarind balls.
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makhaam khluk (มะขามคลุก)
Thai. ‘Rolled
tamarind’
or ‘mixed tamarind’.
Name for a sweet made from tamarind (fig.).
Fresh tamarind fruits are peeled and cleaned from their
fibres, and then coated by rolling them
in, or mixing (khluk) them with, granulated sugar. Also known as
makhaam khluk nahmtahn (มะขามคลุกน้ำตาล), i.e. ‘tamarind mixed
[with] sugar’.
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makhaam khluk buay (มะขามคลุกบ๊วย)
Thai. ‘Buay mixed
tamarind’.
Name for a tamarind candy, made from fresh tamarind fruits (fig.)
which are peeled and cleaned from their fibres, and
then coated by rolling them in a mixture of granulated sugar
and buay powder, i.e. powder obtained from the Japanese apricot, a
fruit which is also known as Chinese plum (Prunus mume).
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makhaampom (มะขามป้อม)
Thai. Name of the Indian gooseberry, a
tropical tree and its
fruit, which is known by the scientific name Phyllanthus emblica. Its fruit
is usually described as having a
rather sweet-and-sour taste, though its high acidity makes it
actually more likely extremely bitter-sour. Though the green berries
at
first glance look very similar to
western green gooseberries, they are actually quite
dissimilar (fig.). In
its centre sits is a large green pit, unlike the small multiple
seeds found in western gooseberries. They have a hard rind and their
acidity is so high, that most people won't like the taste of them.
They are hence best peeled and cut into small pieces and sprinkled
with sugar and/or syrup. In Thailand, they are typically dipped in a
mixture of salt, sugar and dry chili powder. Also known as the emblic tree.
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Makhaam Thao (มะขามเฒ่า)
Thai. ‘Old
Tamarind’. A regional
name of the
Tha Chin
River, after it splits from
Chao Phraya
River near
Chainat
until
Suphanburi,
where it becomes
known by the local name
Suphan
River.
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makhaamthet (มะขามเทศ)
Thai name for the Camachile, a tree and its fruit
(fig.) known by
the scientific name Pithecolobium dulce. Its fruits are similar to those of the
tamarind tree but has a softer skin and a different taste.
Its tender curly skin is red-green and its whitish-pink flesh
sits around shiny brown seeds. It is also known by the common names
Madras Thorn, Manila
Tamarind, while
the fruits are nicknamed monkeypods.
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Makha Bucha (มาฆบูชา)
Thai. Buddhist holiday that commemorates all saints and is held during the full
moon (fig.) of the third lunar month (Makha),
usually mid-February. It celebrates the 1,250 enlightened monks who, without
prior notice or call, simultaneously came to the
Buddha to hear him preach
the
Ovada Patimokkha
Discourse at
Bamboo
Grove Monastery in
Rajagaha. This public holiday reaches its climax in candle processions
around the main temple buildings or
chedi. Also
Wan Makha
Bucha.
See also
bucha and
POSTAGE STAMPS (1),
(2)
and
(3).
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makheua (มะเขือ)
Thai. Generic name for plants that produce bulbous vegetables, such
as the different varieties of eggplant
and the tomato (fig.), which
both belong to the family Solanaceae. There are many different
varieties, such as the
makheua
khao (white eggplant -
fig.),
makheua
phuang (pea eggplant -
fig.),
makheua
muang (purple eggplant -
fig.),
makheua thet (tomato),
makheua proh (crisp eggplant - fig.),
makheua
poo (Thai hairy-fruited eggplant -
fig.), etc. Any of the eggplant varieties
grown to its full size may in Thai also be called
makheua
yao (long makheua -
fig.), whereas their small appearance
may in English be referred to as baby eggplant. Compare with
taeng.
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makheua cartoon (มะเขือการ์ตูน)
Thai. ‘Cartoon
makheua’.
Name for a species of eggplant with the scientific name Solanum
mammosum. Its fruit's is yellowish-orange and has an udder-like
appearance. Due to this, it is known in English as Cow's Udder,
Nipplefruit, Titty Fruit, and Apple of Sodom. In
China, the
gold-coloured fruit is considered auspicious and is known as wu zhi
jia (五指茄), i.e. ‘five toes eggplant’, while in Japan it is
reportedly referred to as ‘fox face’.
Unlike most other eggplant species found in Southeast Asia, the
fruit of this one is poisonous and the plant is grown solely for
ornamental purposes.
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makheua khao (มะเขือขาว)
Thai. ‘White
makheua’. Name for the white eggplant, a
plant with the scientific name
Solanum melongena. It is a variety of the purple eggplant, in Thai
known as
makheua
muang. It produces white, bulbous vegetables that
when still young look like round eggs and are full of tiny seeds.
Similar varieties may be slightly green or have green stripes. They are
edible and usually harvested when still young and hard. Especially
in this stage they are popular in Thai cuisine. Cut in half and
boiled they are used as an ingredient in red and green curries (fig.),
usually together with the seed boxes of the cluster eggplant which
in Thai is known as
makheua
phuang. On occasion
they are also eaten fresh.
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makheua muang (มะเขือม่วง)
Thai. ‘Purple
makheua’. Name for the purple eggplant, a
plant with the scientific name
Solanum melongena. It is a variety of the white eggplant, in Thai
known as
makheua
khao, and is usually grown to a much larger size.
Despite its clear differences, it has the same Latin designation.
When grown into an elongated size (fig.), it is also known as purple aubergine
(fig.).
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makheua phuang (มะเขือพวง)
Thai. ‘Cluster
makheua’. Name for the pea eggplant, a species of eggplant with the scientific name
Solanum
tarvum/torvum. It produces clusters of small green balls, each the size of
a large pea. These spherical seed boxes are edible and contain numerous small seeds. They are eaten when still unripe and
are mainly used as an ingredient in red and green curries, usually
together with the white eggplant which in Thai is known as
makheua
khao.
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makheua poo (มะเขือปู่)
Thai. ‘Paternal grandfather's
eggplant’. Name for a species of
makheua,
with the scientic name Solanum ferox. It has soft furry-like hairs
on it and is yellowish orange in colour. Its taste is a little sour
and the hair needs to be removed before consumption. In English it
is known as Hairy Eggplant, Hairy-fruited Eggplant and Thai
Hairy-fruited Eggplant. In Thai also called
ma-poo.
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makheua proh (มะเขือเปราะ)
Thai. ‘Crisp
makheua’. Name for a species of eggplant of which the fruits are either oval-round or
round-flat and about the size of a golf ball (fig.). The fruit is crisp and comes
in two colours: green-white and purple-white, depending on the type.
It is used as a vegetable, mainly quartered as an ingredient in red and green
curries (fig.), similar to the white eggplant which in Thai is called
makheua
khao.
In English, this type of eggplant is sometimes referred to as Thai
eggplant.
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makheua yao (มะเขือยาว)
Thai. ‘Long
makheua’. Name for any species of eggplant that has grown into a full-grown lengthy size
(fig.), although the term is also and
in particular used for
the elongated green eggplant or green aubergine.
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makhwit (มะขวิด)
Thai name for the
wood-apple
(fig.),
locally described as an edible ancient fruit
hard to find and that occurs in subtropical and tropical southern Asia. It has a
hard, wooden rind,
hence its common English name.
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maki sushi (巻き寿司)
Japanese for ‘rolled
sushi’, a type of sushi made by using a
bamboo rolling mat called a
makisu. It has a filling made of sushi
rice and some other
ingredients, usually fish and is wrapped in sheets of
dried seaweed called nori, although it can also be found wrapped in other edible
wrappers, such as a soy paper, thin omelet, etc. After this the cylindrical roll
is cut into small ready-to-eat chunks and served, often in bamboo steaming
baskets called
kheng (fig.). There are several
types of maki sushi, all with their own names, depending on their size and the
different fillings. Sometimes transcribed maki-zushi
or makizushi.
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makisu (巻き簾)
Japanese for a sushi rolling mat, used to make
maki sushi.
It consists of a collection of round wooden sticks woven together with string
into a flat pliable mat (fig.).
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makkaliphon (มักกะลีผล)
See
makkariphon and
nariphon.
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makkariphon (มักรีผล)
Thai. Name for the fruit of a mythical tree in
Himaphan forest that, according
to legend, fruits beautiful women (fig.),
which are also known as
nariphon, i.e. ‘women fruit’.
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Makkawaan (มัฆวาน)
A Thai name for
Indra.
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maknayok (มรรคนายก)
See
makanayok.
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makok (มะกอก)
1.
Thai. Generic name for any plum tree of the genus Spondias, in the
family Anacardiaceae, of which there are several species, the ones
most commonly found in Thailand being the genus Spondias mombin and Spondias dulcis, which are known in Thai as makok
(fig.) and makok farang (มะกอกฝรั่ง),
respectively. The name
Bangkok is
derived from this tree, which bears oval, edible fruits that grow on
long stalks, and which are sometimes referred to as hog plums. The
flesh of this fruit is crunchy and it contains a fibrous pit. Eaten
fresh, the taste is slightly sour, but it also has several culinary
uses.
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2.
Thai. Name for a plum tree of the genus Spondias, in the family Anacardiaceae, with the botanical name Spondias mombin.
It grows to 30 meters tall and its bark is greyish-brown, thick,
rough, and often deeply grooved with blunt, spine-like projections (fig.).
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Makot
1.
Thai name for the kingdom of
Magadha in
ancient India, now called Bihar.
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2.
Magadhi, the
Prakrit language of
Magadha, similar to
Pali.
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makrud (มะกรูด)
Thai for the kaffir lime or kieffer lime, a shrub with the Latin
scientific name Citrus hystrix. It is native to Indonesia and
Malaysia, where it is called limau purut, but is commonly grown all
over South and Southeast Asia, often as a backyard shrub which
consist of a thorny bush with leaves that grow vertically in pairs,
one on top of the other, somewhat like the shape of a hourglass. Its
fruit, a kind of
lime
with a knobby rind (fig.), as well as its aromatic
leaves are widely used in Southeast Asian cuisine, especially in
Thai cooking. The leaves are used as a spice, both fresh as in
tom yam or dried (fig.) as mixed
with nuts or
khao mao (fig.),
whereas the oil from the fruit's rind can be applied as a mosquito
repellant. See also
manao.
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makut (มกุฎ)
Thai for ‘crown’. It derives from the Sanskrit
word
mukuta. Also
mongkut.
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Makuta (မကုဋ)
Mon-Burmese.
Name of the last King
of the
Thaton Kingdom, who reigned from
ca. 1030 until 1057 AD, when he was defeated by King
Anawrahta
(fig.),
captured and taken to
Pagan (fig.)
as a prisoner,
together with his consort
Queen Ningalade (fig.).
His name was corrupted into Manuha and according to some ancient
inscriptions, he built
Mahuna Phaya
(fig.)
in Myinkaba, near
Bagan,
while in captivity.
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Makutrajakumaan (มกุฎราชกุมาร)
1. Thai
for ‘Crown Prince’.
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2. Thai. ‘Crown Prince’.
Name of an offshore patrol frigate
operated by the Royal Thai Navy. It is usually
referred to with the prefix HTMS, i.e. His Thai Majesty's Ship.
See POSTAGE STAMP.
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malabiang (มาลาเบี่ยง)
See
Phra Malah Biang.
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Malacca apple
See
chomphu ma-miaw.
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malachite
A
copper carbonate hydroxide mineral that is green in appearance. It
is one among
several minerals that qualify as
jade.
This semiprecious mineral polishes to a
high gloss and is used to produce ornaments. Since the late 19th
century, in Europe and especially in Bohemia, i.e. today's western
part of the Czech Republic, this mineral is imitated in pressed
glass, known as Malachite Glass, and intended to look like
malachite.
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malaeng (แมลง)
Nonspecific Thai name for several types of adult invertebrates,
including most insects, such as bugs, flies, beetles, etc. They
consist of three main parts: i.e. a head; an outer part, such as a
shell or wings; and an abdomen, which has 6 legs. Some of the
invertebrates in this category may have 1 or 2 pairs of wings,
though there are some without wings too. Although
not completely interchangeable some of those invertebrates may also be called
maeng, though this term is usually
reserved for those with 8-10 legs. Several species of insect, both
of the malaeng and maeng category, are eaten (fig.)
by some locals, e.g. scorpions (maengpong -
fig.), crickets (jing
rihd -
fig.), giant water bugs or horseshoe crabs
(maengda -
fig.), silk pupae (dakdae),
bamboo worms (rotduan
-
fig.),
grasshoppers (takkataen), tarantulas (beung -
fig.), etc.
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malaeng chi pa-khao (แมลงชีปะขาว)
Thai
for ‘Mayfly’.
READ ON.
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malaeng maengpong (แมลงแมงป่อง)
Thai
term for the
Scorpion Fly
(fig.)
and literally a compound of the words
malaeng
and
maengpong.
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malaeng noon luang (แมลงนูนหลวง)
Thai. ‘Embossed royal insect’. Designation for a large beetle,
commonly known as Sugarcane White Grub, after their larvae,
which feed on the roots of
sugarcane. It belongs to the family
Scarabaeidae and has the scientific name Lepidiota stigma. Females
are overall whitish-grey, whereas males are pale beige-brown (fig.).
On average, adults measure between 3.5 to 4.7 centimeters. With
adults being able to fly (fig.),
they can spread over large areas and are considered important pests
of
cassava and sugarcane, especially in
the provinces
Kanchanaburi,
Ratchaburi,
Rayong,
Chonburi and
Kamphaeng Phet.
In
Isaan, they are fried and eaten by some
locals. In English, this
beetle is sometimes also referred to as the Large Cockchafer.
See also WILDLIFE PICTURES.
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malaeng phi (แมลงผี)
Thai.
‘Ghost insect’. The popular name for an
insect that camouflages as a stick (fig.),
dry twig or withered leave. It comes in many sizes and
shapes, the most common being a walking stick. The so-called
stick insect
or stick
bug, the kind that camouflages as a stick and in Thai also known as
takkataen king mai (fig.), can grow well over 30
centimeters in length and researchers have identified a species from the island of Borneo
with a size of over 55 centimeters, as the world's alleged longest insect.
Stick insects are not venomous and apart from relying on camouflage
alone for its defence, it also has colourful wings that it can open
to scare off enemies and some species can spray an irritating
substance from glands on their back onto an attacker. Ranatra
linearis is an aquatic species of stick bug that lives in and near
aquatic plants in ponds, marshes and other freshwater habitats, and
which is referred to as Needle Bug or Water Stick Insect. Though
adults can fly this predator typically hunts underwater using its
front legs to catch prey while its tail acts as a breathing tube,
similar to
Water Scorpions
(fig.).
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malaeng pihk khaeng (แมลงปีกแข็ง)
Thai. ‘Hard-winged insect’. Generic name for any type of beetle,
alongside the designation
duang. The
term derives from the elytra, i.e. the modified hardened fore-wings, that
serve as shield-like wing-covers or sheaths to the rear-wings, when not in flight.
The elytra of metallic
beetles
are in Thailand used to make artifacts, which are generally referred
to as beetle wing collages (fig.).
The life-cycle of metallic beetles is short and they meet a natural
death at the due time, leaving their wings scattered around the tree
trunks where they used to live. The wings of metallic beetles
are bluish-green with a golden-yellow shine and remain vivid and
durable, so they can be used to decorate sculptures and ornaments. With a size of up to 13
centimeters, the largest beetles in Thailand are the three-horned
beetles, generally known in Thai as
kwahng
sahm khao, and in English commonly referred to as
Atlas Beetles. They belong to the genus Chalcosoma, which includes
the species Chalcosoma caucasus, Chalcosoma atlas and Chalcosoma
mollenkampi. Though beetles are able to fly, many species are too
large and heavy to lift from the ground and must first climb to an
elevated point, such as a tree, from where they drop themselves in
the air to get airborne. In order to enable them to climb, beetles
typically have large claws or hooks on their legs.
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malaeng pihk khaeng thee you tahm moon sat
(แมลงปีกแข็งที่อยู่ตามมูลสัตว์)
Thai generic name for dung beetles. There are several species and
the ones found in Thailand include Onitis sp., which lives in buffalo dung
and is, naturally, a local delicacy.
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malaeng poh (แมลงปอ)
Thai.
Generic name for ‘dragonfly’, as well as ‘damselfly’,
though the latter is officially known as
malaeng poh khem (แมลงปอเข็ม), literally
‘needle dragonfly’.
READ ON.
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malaeng poh ban boh (แมลงปอบ้านบ่อ)
Thai name for the
Scarlet
Skimmer.
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malaeng poh ban pihk leuang dam
(แมลงปอบ้านปีกเหลืองดำ)
Thai name for the
Yellow-Striped Flutterer.
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malaeng poh ban pihk taem dam
(แมลงปอบ้านปีกแต้มดำ)
Thai name for the
Blackspot Widow.
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malaeng poh ban seua khiaw
(แมลงปอบ้านเสือเขียว)
A Thai name for the
Green Tiger Skimmer,
besides
malaeng poh ban seua laai khiaw.
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malaeng poh ban seua laai khiaw
(แมลงปอบ้านเสือลายเขียว)
A Thai name for the
Green Tiger Skimmer,
besides
malaeng poh ban seua khiaw.
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malaeng poh ban sih mon thong daeng
(แมลงปอบ้านสีหม่นท้องแดง)
Thai name for the
Black-bodied Skimmer.
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malaeng poh ban som leuang
(แมลงปอบ้านส้มเหลือง)
Thai name for the
Orange Skimmer.
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malaeng poh ban song sih khiaw fah (แมลงปอบ้านสองสีเขียวฟ้า)
Thai name for the
Ground Skimmer.
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malaeng poh ban tahn plaay pihk saai
(แมลงปอบ้านตาลปลายปีกใส)
Thai name for the
Cleartip
Widows.
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malaeng poh ban tai kohn pihk dam
(แมลงปอบ้านใต้โคนปีกดำ)
Thai name for the
Indigo
Dropwing.
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malaeng poh ban tai phu muang
(แมลงปอบ้านใต้ผู้ม่วง)
Thai name for the
Crimson
Marsh Glider.
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malaeng poh seua laai pradap
(แมลงปอเสือลายประดับ)
A Thai name for the
Common Clubtail,
besides
malaeng poh seua
thammada.
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malaeng poh seua
thammada (แมลงปอเสือธรรมดา)
A Thai name for the
Common Clubtail,
besides
malaeng poh seua laai pradap.
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malaeng saab (แมลงสาบ)
Thai. ‘Musty insect’. Generic name for any kind
of cockroach. Species commonly found in Thailand include the
American Cockroach (Periplaneta americana), Australian Cockroach (Periplaneta
australasiae -
fig.), Common or Oriental
Cockroach (Blatta orientalis), German Cockroach (Blattella germanica), Brown-banded Cockroach
(Supella longipalpa or Supella supelectilium -
fig.) and the Surinam
Cockroach (Pycnoscelus surinamensis).
Their life cycle from egg to
adult passes through several instars, in which the nymphs (fig.) of winged
adult species are still wingless (fig.). Cockroaches can go without
water or food for a long period and are able to live without their
heads. Cockroaches breathe through the sides of their bodies and as
such do
not require a nose or head. This, in addition with the fact that they do not
have blood pressure like mammals do -which can lead to uncontrolled
bleeding- they can live about a week or longer
without their heads. A decapitated individual will
eventually die of dehydration. It has recently been
discovered that special chemicals in the brains of cockroaches
enable them to resist a wide range of bacteria and allow them to
live in highly unclean environments. Scientists have identified
several different molecules in their brains and tissues that are
toxic to deadly bugs, possibly opening the way to treat multi-drug
resistant bacterial infections.
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malaeng saab thalae (แมลงสาบทะเล)
Thai. ‘Musty sea insect’ or ‘sea
cockroach’.
READ ON.
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malaeng sahm ngahm (แมลงสามง่าม)
Thai. ‘Three-pronged insect’.
Name of a nocturnal wingless insect with long antennae. It has the
scientific designation
Lepisma
saccharina and is commonly known as Silverfish. Whereas the English
name derives from the insect's distinctive metallic
appearance and its fish-like shape, as
well as its wiggling motion that resembles the movement of a
fish,
the Thai
common name refers to its three prongs at the end of
its tapering abdomen,
which consist of two long cerci (paired
appendages that —depending on the kind of arthropod— are either
functionless, or serve as pinching weapons, or as sensory or
reproduction organs) and one filament, used
used by males to vibrate against females during courtship. The Latin
name refers to the
insect's appetite
for
matter that contains polysaccharides.
Also transliterated malaeng saam ngaam.
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malaeng wan (แมลงวัน)
Thai for ‘fly’, literally it reads
‘day insect’, and thus malaeng wan is sometimes translated as
‘day-fly’. See also
malaeng.
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malaeng wan bian (แมลงวันเบียน)
Thai. ‘Disturbing fly’ or ‘annoying fly’.
Generic name for
any fly in the family Tachinidae, of which there are more than 2,000
genera, and more than 10,000 species worldwide. They are commonly
called Tachina Flies or simply Tachinids, an in Thai also known as
malaeng wan tua bian (แมลงวันตัวเบียน). Their larvae are often
parasitoids, developing inside a living host and eventually killing
it, or sometimes parasitic, just living off the host for a while.
Depending on the species, there are different reproductive
strategies. Some species lay their eggs on the host insect, others
insert them into the host's body, or leave them in the host's
environment, where they are either ingested by the host, or the
larvae search for the host themselves, some even by using ambush
techniques. For this reason, this fly is also referred to as
Parasitic Fly.
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malaeng wan hua boob (แมลงวันหัวบุบ)
Thai. ‘Dented-headed fly’. Generic name for
any species of robber fly, that belongs to the Asilidae family.
There are several subfamilies and members all have stout, spiny
legs, a dense bristle of hairs on the face, and three simple eyes in a characteristic dent between two larger compound
eyes. Furthermore, they have short antennae, with a bristle-like
structure, and a short, strong proboscis, used to stab victims,
which they then inject with saliva containing neurotoxic and
proteolytic enzymes, that paralyze and digest the internal organs,
allowing the robber fly to suck up the liquefied insides. Most
robber flies have a rather long abdomen and some species mimic other
insects.
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malaeng wan hua khiaw (แมลงวันหัวเขียว)
Thai. ‘Green-headed fly’. Name for
a species of blow-fly with the scientific designation Chrysomya megacephala, that belongs to the family Calliphoridae.
It has large, bright reddish-brown compound eyes, and a metallic
greenish-blue body, 1 to 1.2 centimeters in length, with a golden
shine and dark, blackish rings. Though found in many places across
the globe, it does prefer year-round warmer climates and is
particularly prevalent in the Oriental and Australasian region.
Whilst it can be a nuisance and cause health problems to both humans
and animals, it is also an important tool in forensic entomology, as
it is one of the first species to show up on a corpse, allowing
pathologists and forensic scientists to determine, or at least
estimate, the time of death by calculating a post mortem interval,
according to the larvae of this species and their abundance, found
on a decaying body. Research done in Thailand was used to examine
what species of insects were found on a number of cadavers, grouped
in specific environments, e.g. indoor, outdoor, urban, forested,
etc. Results showed that flies in the family Calliphoridae were by
far the most common of all flies found on all of these cadavers,
headed by the species Chrysomya megacephala, which was found on two
thirds of the cadavers.
For this reason, blow-flies are also called carrion flies. In
English, it is commonly known by the less than flattering
designation
Oriental Latrine Fly.
See also WILDLIFE PICTURES.
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malaeng wan pheung (แมลงวันผึ้ง)
Thai for ‘bee-fly’.
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malaeng wan ponlamai (แมลงวันผลไม้)
Thai. ‘Fruit fly’. Designation for small
flies of the family Tephritidae, one of two families commonly
referred to as
fruit
flies, the other being Drosophilidae, which
members are included in a group of insects known as
malaeng
wih in Thai, said to be named after the sound they
make. Worldwide, there are several thousand species belonging to the
family Tephritidae, commonly known as picture-wing flies. They are
larger than fruit flies of the family Drosophilidae, commonly known
as vinegar flies (fig.),
and are easily distinguished from other, similar flies, by the dark
pattern or banding of the wings.
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malaeng wan klaay mot (แมลงวันคล้ายมด)
Thai. ‘Ant-like fly’. Designation for the
Stilt-legged Fly (fig.).
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malaeng wih (แมลงหวี่)
Thai. ‘Buzzing insect’. Designation for flying
insects that include the small flies of the family Drosophilidae,
said to be named after the sound they make and which is one of two
families commonly referred to as
fruit
flies, the other being Tephritidae, which members
are known as
malaeng wan ponlamai in Thai (fig.). Malaeng wih are fruit flies commonly known as
vinegar, wine or pomace flies and can be identified by the frontal
bristles on their head, usually three on each side above the eye.
Since the Thai word for bristle is also wih (หวี), though pronounced
with a different tone (i.e. rising rather than low, see
tonal marks and rules),
it could perhaps be questioned if the name malaeng wih, may have
been derived from this, rather than just the sound it makes. Vinegar
flies are mostly 2 to 4 millimeter small, pale yellow to reddish brown
or black flies, with distinctive red eyes.
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malai (มาลัย)
Thai term for ‘garland’,
used both for
phuang malai
(fig.)
and
kreuang khwaen
(fig.).
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malai (मलाई)
Hindi.
South Asian cooking ingredient made from
non-homogenized whole milk.
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malai khao tok (มาลัยข้าวตอก)
Thai. ‘Popped
rice garland’.
Name for a kind of garland or
mobile, made of stringed grains
of popped
rice.
READ ON.
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malai khlong meua (มาลัยคล้องมือ)
Thai. ‘Wristlet garland’. A round-shaped garland to wear around the
wrist. See also
phuang malai.
See also POSTAGE STAMPS.
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malai piya (มาลัยเปีย)
Thai.
‘Plaited garland’. An oval-shaped garland, with below a tassel
of flowers and at the top a string to be hung from one point. See also
phuang malai.
See also POSTAGE STAMPS.
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malai song chai (มาลัยสองชาย)
Thai. ‘Two boys garland’. A double garland with two ends connected
with a string or band to wear around the neck. See also
phuang malai.
See also POSTAGE STAMPS.
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malai tum (มาลัยตุ้ม)
Thai. ‘Knobbed garland’. A somewhat bulbous garland, with below a
floral tassel and on top a bowed band for hanging. See also
phuang malai.
See also POSTAGE STAMPS.
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malako (มะละกอ)
Thai for
papaya. A small tree with the Latin name
Carica papaja that
can grows up to 7.5 meters. When blooming,
it bears greenish-white to pale yellowish flowers (fig.),
which can be male, female, or hermaphrodite, and whereas the female
blossoms can develop into a fruit when pollinated, the hermaphrodite
flowers are self-fertile.
Its fruits, when still green (fig.), are used as the main ingredient
for the popular dish
somtam. When ripe the
fruit is orange (fig.)
and resembles melon. The Hawaiian species is smaller than the usual Thai
variety (fig.). Also called
melon
tree.
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malaria
Disease that causes a recurrent fever
caused by a parasite transmitted by a bite of the Anopheles mosquito, the carrier of this parasite.
The ancient Romans initially mistakenly attributed the disease to
the breathing in of ‘bad air’ produced by the pestilential fumes
exhalated by swamps and marshes, and thus in Latin called the
unwholesome atmosphere mala aria, i.e.
‘bad air’, of which malaria is the contracted compound form. In Thai called
khai pah (jungle fever) and
khai jab san (shivering fever).
See also
haemorrhagic fever
and
dengue.
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Malayan
Bear
Small species of bear whose natural habitat is southern
Thailand, the Malay peninsula and the Indonesian archipelago. It has the
scientific name Helarctos malayanus and is also known by the name
Malayan Sun Bear, due
to a creamy-white crescent-shaped curve on its upper chest (fig.).
In
China and
some countries of Southeast Asia, such as
Vietnam, Malayan Sun Bears
are farmed –often in very poor living conditions, including crush
cages– to extract their bile, which is used in Chinese traditional
medicine, although the practice is illegal. In Thai, this bear is
called mih mah,
i.e. ‘dog bear’. See also
Asian Black Bear.
WATCH VIDEO
and
VIDEO (E).
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Malayan Gharial
See
jorakae.
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Malayan
Peacock-pheasant
Common name of a medium-sized pheasant, with the binomial name
Polyplectron malacense.
Adult males are short-tailed, measure
about fifty centimeters, and have a loose, pointed and upturned,
dark blue-green crest on the forehead. Their plumage is mainly
pale brown, with small black spots and bands, and iridescent
greenish-blue ocelli with a buff edge. It has a blackish bill and
legs, and pink to bright orange-red, bare facial skin. Their eyes
have bluish-white irises. Females have less distinct ocelli and no
obvious crest. Also
known as Crested Peacock-pheasant, Malay Peacock-pheasant and
Malaysian Peacock-pheasant. Sometimes spelled Malayan Peacock
Pheasant. In Thai it is called nok waen sih nahm tahn (นกแว่นสีน้ำตาล)
and nok waen tai (นกแว่นใต้), which translates as
‘brown ringed bird’ and ‘southern ringed bird’, respectively.
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Malayan Pit
Viper
A venomous and potentially fatal
snake, with the binomial
name Calloselasma rhodostoma and Agkistrodon rhodostoma, which is found throughout tropical and
subtropical Southeast Asia. Its body has a pattern of triangular
markings on a light to dark, reddish to purplish brown background.
This colouring is perfect camouflage, making it almost impossible to
see the snake when it is coiled among dried leaf matter, hence it is
easily stepped on. The Malayan
Pit Viper
is the only Asian
pit viper with large crown scales and smooth dorsal scales.
Characteristically, on each side of its head, behind the eyes, it
has a dark-brown patch, bordered with a fine white line. The top of
this patch is straight, the bottom is serrated. Its snout is pointed
and curved upward. This snake has long, hollow fangs that fold back
against the roof of its mouth and which must be extended before it
can bite. As with all pit vipers, it is distinguished by the
presence of a heat-sensing pit organ located between the eye and the
nostril on either side of the head (fig.).
The Malayan Pit Viper is in many ways reminiscent of the in America
occurring pit viper Bothrops atrox, including its hemotoxic venom. In Thai
ngu kapa. In 1981, it was depicted
on the last stamp of a set of four Thai postage stamps featuring
venomous Thai snakes (fig.).
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Malayan Porcupine
Name of a species of porcupine (fig.) found in South and Southeast Asia,
from Nepal to Sumatra and Borneo, including Thailand. It has the
scientific name Hystrix brachyura and occurs in various types of
forest, as well as in open areas near forests, where it may even
stray into agricultural areas. Its habitat is terrestrial, digging
into the ground and living in burrows, often inhabiting dens near
rocky areas. It resides in small groups and females may give birth
to a litter of usually one young, twice a year. Its diet consists largely of roots,
tubers, bark and fallen fruits, but they also feed on carrion and
insects. Malayan porcupines are characterized by a large and stout,
black
body, covered with sharp quills. These long quills or spines are actually
modified hairs that grow on their upper body parts and are of a white colour
with a narrow dark band, often someplace halfway towards the tip. The quills are soft at
birth and become hard and rough as the porcupines enter adulthood.
The spines on its back can be raised when it is attacked and those
on its tail, which are shorter and hollow, are used to rattle when
it feels threatened. If a predator persists past these threats, the
porcupine launches a backwards assault, anticipating to stab its
attacker with its quills. Porcupine quills are needle-sharp and can
be released on contact. Their tips have microscopic barbs on them
that, once implanted in an attacker, will remain attached and may
even move further up into the tissue, due to the movements of the
predator. The barbs make them difficult and painful to extract, and
animals can be severely injured and even die as a result of quill
penetration. New quills will grow to replace the ones that are
discharged during an attack or drop out when the porcupine shakes
its body. Malayan porcupines have short stocky legs with smooth
soles and four claws on the forelegs, and five on the hind legs. In Thai this
species is known as
men yai phaeng kho yao or just men
yai, i.e. ‘large porcupine’. It strongly resembles the
Indian Porcupine, but has a much longer mane. Also known as East Asian porcupine
and Himalayan Porcupine. See also
men.
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Malayan Tapir
See
Asian Tapir.
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malay lukkaew ok kai (มาลัยลูกแก้วอกไก่)
Thai. A
redented chedi with a central part of several successive rings (malay) with three angles,
in which the outer edge of each ring in profile resembles the form of a
chicken breast (ok kai).
This part of the
chedi resembles a decorative
buffer and was popular towards the end of the
Ayutthaya
Period.
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Malaysia
Thailand's neighbouring country to the South.
It includes the southern peninsula and northern one-third of the island of
Borneo, bordering Indonesia and the South China Sea, south of
Vietnam. Its total
area is 329,750 km². It has a total land border of 2,669 km, that is 381
km with Brunei, 1,782 km with Indonesia, and 506 km with Thailand. Its
total coastline is 4,675 km long (the Peninsula 2,068 km and East Malaysia 2,607
km) and its highest point is Gunung Kinabalu with 4,100 m. The country's
capital is Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia was formed in 1963 through a federation of the
former British colonies of Malaya and
Singapore, including the East Malaysian
states of Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo. To
indicate the political union between Malaya and Singapore, the first
to letters of Singapore were inserted into the name Malaya to form
Malaysia. The first several
years of the country's history were marred by Indonesian efforts to control
Malaysia, Philippine claims to Sabah, and Singapore's secession from the
federation in 1965. It now consists of a
federation with
13 member states under one federal government, which are together
represented in the 14 stripes and the 14-pointed star of the national
flag (fig.),
which in Malay is known as Jalur Gemilang, a designation that translates as ‘Stripes
of Excellence’. Malaysia has a population of just over 28 million, consisting of
58% of Malays and other indigenous people, 24% Chinese, 8% Indians, and 10%
others. Bahasa Melayu is the official language, but a variety of other languages
are also spoken, such as English, Chinese dialects (Cantonese,
Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, and Thai.
In addition, in East Malaysia several indigenous languages are spoken, the
largest being Iban and Kadazan. Practiced religions are
Islam,
Buddhism,
Taoism,
Hinduism, Christianity and
the
Sikh
religion. In East Malaysia
Shamanism
is practiced. The currency is the ‘ringgit’ and natural resources are
tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas and bauxite.
See also
Thailand's Neighbours & Beyond.
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malet phak chih (เมล็ดผักชี)
Thai for ‘coriander seed’, a spice used in cuisine
for flavouring. It is one of several
spices used to make phalo powder, an ingredient to make
khai phalo,
for one. See also
phak chih.
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ma-li (มะลิ)
Thai for jasmine, a shrub of the
genus Jasminum. There are many different species, including Arabian
Jasmine (Jasminum sambac), which is known in Thai as ma-li son (มะลิซ้อน).
The Thai varieties have white scented flowers and its flower buds (fig.)
are used as the main item in most
phuang malai
garlands (fig.).
In
Thailand, it is considered a symbol for maternal love and has been
assigned to be the flower of
Wan Mae,
i.e.
Mother Day. Another specific,
newly discovered species of Thai jasmine is named after
King
Bhumipol Adulyadej
(Bhumipon Adunyadet),
i.e. Jasminum bhumibolianum (fig.).
Ma-li is also the first name of
Nang
Ma-li Duangdi,
currently the tallest Thai national.
See also POSTAGE STAMP
(1),
(2) and
(3).
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ma-li farang (มะลิฝรั่ง)
Thai. ‘Western (farang)
jasmine (ma-li)’.
Name for a shrub in the family Apocynaceae, with the scientific
designation Tabernaemontana cumingiana, and known in English by its
generic name Milkwood. It is also called phut farang (พุดฝรั่ง) and
phut tuhm (พุดตูม), and is comparable to
another shrub known as Tabernaemontana corymbosa, a very similar
species of plant in the same family, which is known in Thai as sang
lah (สั่งลา). It originates from India, but
can also be found in many other countries of South, East and
Southeast Asia. It grows to about 2 meters tall and has somewhat
spiny branches with milky sap, which is poisonous if ingested. It
blooms almost year-round, bearing flowers with white petals and a
pale yellowish centre. The flowers are similar in shape to the
flower emblem depicted on the flag of Hong Kong, though that is
actually supposed to be a stylized representation of a Hong Kong
orchid (Bauhinia blakeana), a flower and tree very similar to the
Indian orchid (Bauhinia purpurea -
fig.).
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Malihwaraat (มาลีวราช)
Thai. Name of a wise king in the story
Ramakien, who spoke the truth and
was just. He decreed that
Totsakan
must return
Sida
to
Phra Ram,
but Totsakan refused. In
iconography, he is usually
depicted with a white complexion, eight arms and four faces, and
thus often appears very similar to
Phra Phrom,
i.e. the
Hindu god
Brahma. Often referred to as
thao Malihwaraat and also spelled Maleewaraj.
See also
LIST OF RAMAKIEN CHARACTERS & NAMES.
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Ma-li Duangdi (มะลิ
ดวงดี)
Thai. Name of a lady from
Trat
and of
Mon
origin, who with a length of 212 centimeters is currently the
tallest Thai national.
READ
ON.
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Maliwan (มลิวัน)
Thai. Name
of a city or kingdom in the
Ramakien,
which was ruled by the
demon king
Thao
Chakraphad.
See also
LIST OF RAMAKIEN CHARACTERS & NAMES.
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Mallard
Name for a species of dabbling duck, with the binomial name Anas
platyrhynchos, which is also commonly known as Wild Duck. It is
thought to be the most abundant and wide-ranging duck on the planet.
The adult drake has a bottle green head and neck atop a white
neckband, a chestnut to purplish coloured chest, a grey body, orange
legs and feet, a yellowish-olive bill tipped with black, and a
curled centre tail feather. Adult females have a mottled drab
brown-buff plumage, with a very faint white collar, and a black and
orange bill. Both sexes have iridescent purple-blue wing patches, that are lined with a black and a white bar
at both the
front and hind edges. In males, these patches are best visible during
flight, whereas in females they are sometimes visible on the hind
flanks as they rest. Chicks are brown with yellowish cheeks and
supercilium, a black eye-stripe, buffy-white underparts, and a dark
grey bill. After about two months, juveniles become similar to
females, but darker and with heavily streaked underparts. As they
reach maturity and slowly change to the adult plumage, males will
get a yellowish-olive bill and females a black and orange bill. In
the non-breeding season, adult males will change into eclipse
plumage, becoming less colourful and more female-like again.
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Malunthakeson (มาลุนทเกสร)
Thai name of a monkey-warrior
character from the
Ramakien.
He is an ally
of
Phra Ram
(fig.)
and belongs to the camp of Meuang Khiet Kheun
(เมืองขีดขิน), which is
ruled by
Phali
(fig.).
He
is described as having a pale purplish-indigo fur.
He wears a golden
taab, a
decorative and
protective neckpiece,
as well as
a golden
kabang-style
crown.
He is usually
depicted with his mouth
closed.
He is one of the eighteen
Wahnon Sip-paet Mongkut,
who in his previous
chaht
or
incarnation,
was the deity
Phra Phareuhadsabodih,
the god of Thursday as well as of learning
(fig.).
Also transcribed
Malunthagesorn.
See also
LIST OF RAMAKIEN CHARACTERS & NAMES.
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Malva Nut Tree
See
samrong.
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Ma Mian (马面)
Chinese.
‘Horse-Face’.
Name of a guardian of the Underworld in Chinese mythology.
READ ON.
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ma muang (มะม่วง)
Thai for
mango. A tree and
fruit of the genus Mangifera indica with a large variety of
species, the most popular in Thailand being
ma muang ok
rong.
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ma muang fah lan (มะม่วงฟ้าลั่น)
Thai.
‘Thundering
mango’. A
mango with a green skin and yellowy
spots. Fruits mainly in the month of April.
It makes a slight sound (lan) when peeled, hence its name fah lan (thunder).
The flesh is yellow
and quite sweet.
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ma muang himaphan (มะม่วงหิมพานต์)
Thai for
cashew nut.
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ma muang man (มะม่วงมัน)
Thai collective term for all
mangoes eaten when still green and
consequently still hard and sour.
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ma muang nahm dok mai (มะม่วงน้ำดอกไม้)
Thai.
‘Barracuda
mango’. Name for a sweet and soft
mango with
yellow flesh.
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ma muang ok rong (มะม่วงอกร่อง)
Thai name for a popular kind of
mango.
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ma muang raed (มะม่วงแรด)
Thai.
‘Rhino
mango’. A kind of hard
mango with a green skin, which is in season from April
to May, and is grown especially in the province of
Chachengsao,
where it is a local specialty.
The name derives
from the peculiar hook that grows from its side at the top and
resembles a rhinoceros' horn (fig.),
an animal that in Thai is known as raed.
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ma muang maengwan (มะม่วงแมงวัน)
Thai name for the
Rajayatana Tree.
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man
(mẩn)
Vietnamese. Name of a traditional, tubular
style
of female headdress
from northern
Vietnam,
in which the end of a girl's long hair is tied together like a
sausage and worn around the head, somewhat like a turban.
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manao (มะนาว)
1.
Common
Thai term for ‘lemon’, but the word is also used for ‘citron’ and at
times even for ‘lime’. In practice the word is used generally for several species. In
Hinduism lemons
are used as a medium or go-between of the gods, used to
eradicate ominous spirits and ghosts, as well as bad things. As an offer they are made
into garlands called
phuang manao (fig.)
and during the festival of
Vijayadazaami they are seen
everywhere, from decorations on chariots (fig.)
to dangling from hooks that are pierced to spiritualist mediums in
trance (fig.).
Throughout many parts of Southeast Asia, dried slices of lemon are
used as natural deodorizer and in Thailand also as replacement for
urinal cakes.
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2. Thai. Name for a style of
Buddhist monk's
alms bowl, with a
shape commonly used today and usually referred to as
baat song manao (ทรงมะนาว), i.e. ‘lemon-shaped alms
bowl’. This
style of alms bowl has been in use for around 90 years.
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manao fak thong (มะนาวฟักทอง)
Thai. Name for a rare
kind of lemon (manao)
that has the shape and size of a small pumpkin (fak
thong).
For a lemon it is rather large in size and it has a fairly thick and
juicy rind. Its taste is similar to other lemons in general.
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manao hoh (มะนาวโห่)
Thai for
karanda,
besides the full name
manao mai ruh hoh.
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manao kwai (มะนาวควาย)
Thai for ‘lime’ of the species
Citrus medica linn. var. linetta, but the term may
also be used for ‘citron’ and for ‘lemon’. Literally
kwai
manao means ‘buffalo lemon’.
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manao mai ruh hoh (มะนาวไม่รู้โห่)
Thai for
karanda,
in addition to the shorter
manao hoh.
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Manchu (ᠮᠠᠨᠵᡠ)
Manchu. Name of the native
language of the ruling class of the Qing Dynasty in China, and known
in Chinese as Manzu (满族). Manchu characters were used in official
documents and inscriptions alongside Chinese characters (fig.).
The language belongs to the Tungusic language family and its script
is derived from the Mongolian script. Its the writing system was
created in the early 17th century and is a vertical script, written
from top to bottom and left to right. According to official
historical records from the Qing Dynasty, Nurhaci, a military leader
of the Jurchens of Northeast China and founder of what became the
Qing Dynasty, named his tribe,
the Manchus,
after
Manjushri, the
Mahayana
god
of learning and wisdom (fig.).
Despite the decline of the Manchu
language over the centuries, the script remains an important part of
Manchu cultural heritage.
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Manchurian Crane
Common name of a large bird in
the crane family Gruidae, with the scientific name Grus japonensis,
and also commonly called Japanese Crane and Red-crowned Crane. It is
found from China to Japan, and is similar in appearance to the
Common Crane, i.e.
with black-tipped secondaries
and long, drooping tertials, mixed with black plumes, a blackish
head and upper-neck,
with a red patch on the crown, and a broad white band from the
ear-coverts down to the upper neck, but with an overall white
plumage rather than grey. In Thai, it is known as nok krarian
mongkut daeng (นกกระเรียนมงกุฎแดง),
i.e. ‘Red-crowned Crane’.
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mandala (मण्डल)
Sanskrit.
‘Circle’. A complex and mystic diagram symbolizing the universe and
used as an object of
meditation in
Vajrayana Buddhism. They usually comprise one or more circles
(fig.)
divided into geometrical figures and with representations of
buddhas,
deities and their pantheons. In the Tibetan branch of
Vajrayana Buddhism, the mandala may
also be made from coloured sand (fig.),
and is usually destroyed once it has been completed, to symbolize
the Buddhist belief in the transitory nature of material life. In
Tibet, the sand mandala is known as kilkhor and often represents a
‘time-wheel’
or
kalachakra. In Thai, the mandala is sometimes referred to as
monthon.
Besides mystic diagrams, also other religious paintings are created
by mandala artists (fig.),
which are used both for meditation and as decorative art.
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Mandalay Bodaw (မန္တလေးဘိုးတော်)
Burmese.
‘Lord Grandfather of Mandalay’.
One of 37
nats that
belong to the
official pantheon of spirits
worshipped in
Myanmar. In
life, he was the son of a
brahmin and was
killed for not properly supervising
Shwe Hpyin Gyi and
Shwe Hpyin Nge, sons of
Popa Medaw
(fig.),
who were negligent in their duties and were consequently
executed on the orders of
King
Anawrahta (fig.)
for not having placed
bricks near a pagoda, as ordered by the king.
Mandalay Bodaw's
sister was killed together with him for hiding the two
brothers, and thus became the nat
Shingwa.
Mandalay Bodaw is
usually portrayed standing on a pedestal with a sword on his
shoulder and a hand raised while pointing a finger upward.
See also LIST OF BURMESE NATS.
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Mandalay International Airport
Currently, one of three
international airports in
Myanmar, the others
being in Kalaymyo and Yangon. Its terminal is
located some 35 kilometers south
of Mandalay city (fig.).
It has a 4,267 meter long runway, which at its opening in 1999 was
reportedly the longest landing strip in use in Southeast Asia. The
modern terminal building is fitted with traditional Burmese
multi-tiered, spire-like,
pyatthat-style
roofs, creating an
exotic atmosphere.
See
also
PANORAMA PICTURE
and
MAP.
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Mandalay Nandaw (မန္တလေး နန်းတော်)
Burmese. ‘Mandalay
Palace’. Name of the Mandalay
Royal Palace (fig.),
a fortified citadel located to the north of the city center.
READ ON.
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mandapa (मण्डप)
Sanskrit.
‘Pavilion’. In India
an open hall
in front of the entrance to a
Jain or
Hindu sanctuary. In
Khmer temples it is the projecting porch
to the main shrine. In Thailand it is called
mondop, and
consists generally of an open square building with a pyramidal or four arched
roof, used to house distinguished religious objects
or texts.
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Mandara (मन्दर)
Sanskrit. The mountain that the gods used with the demons and
Ananta
to churn the ‘Ocean
of Milk’
(fig.).
It is believed to be a spur or peak of
Mt.
Meru (fig.),
and the abode of
Krishna
as Madhusudana,
i.e. the destroyer of a demon with the name Madhu, who was killed by
Krishna and then buried underneath Mt. Mandara.
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Mandarin
1. A high public or government
official or a scholar of Imperial
China (fig.).
Originally, the word meant simply
‘official’ or ‘functionary’ and derives from the
Sanskrit
word mantrī (मन्त्री), which means ‘secretary’
or ‘counselor’. See also
Mandarin square.
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2.
A loose skinned citrus of
China,
somewhat flat and orangey in colour, and with the binomial name
Citrus reticulata
(fig.).
In Chinese tradition, oranges
are popular fortune fruits given to beloved ones during
Trut Jihn,
i.e.
Chinese New Year. The giving
of mandarins or oranges represents the wish to share ones fortune,
with their colour symbolizing gold, a commodity that Chinese people
typically give to each other during Chinese New Year.
In Thai mandarins ar known as
som
jihn (ส้มจีน), literally ‘Chinese oranges’.
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3. A vernacular of
China,
spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. It was the
administrative language of China during the Ming and Qing dynasties,
and in Thailand it is referred to as
Phasa
Jihn Klahng (จีนกลาง), i.e.
‘Middle Chinese’.
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Mandarin Duck
Name of a species of medium-sized duck, with the scientific name Aix
galericulata. Adult males have a bulky head and striking colours.
Its face is buffish-brown, the forehead dark green, the crown
blackish-blue and the upper part of the nape dark brown. The lower
sides of the face are buffish-brown and appear somewhat streaked,
while the throat and breast are very dark purplish-brown, and the
lower part of the nape and mantle are blackish-blue to dark green.
It has a long whitish supercilium, as well as two vertical white
bars that run from the neck to the lower breast, and a reddish bill.
Furthermore, it has buffish underparts, with a white vent, brown
wings and two orange, upright, sail-like wingtips at the back. Adult females are overall
grayish-brown, with whitish spots on the breast and flanks, a white eyering, and a pale eyestripe. In addition, it has a small white
flank stripe, and a pale tip to its bill. Junveniles are similar to
females, but more brownish and with a paler eyering, whilst their
breast and flank markings are also less distinct. In Thai it is
known as pet maendarin (เป็ดเเมนดาริน).
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Mandarin square
Name for a large, square, embroidered rank badge for civilian officials,
such as scholars,
during the Ming and Qing Dynasties in China.
READ ON.
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mandir (मन्दिर्,
मंदिर)
Sanskrit
for ‘temple’, as in Dev Mandir (देव मन्दिर्), i.e. the
‘Temple of the Gods’, a name for Hindu temples with a traditional
shrine room that houses a pantheon of various deities from
Hinduism. See also
deva.
WATCH
VIDEO.
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Maneeswarar
Tamil. Name
of a
Hindu-Tamil deity, who also referred to
as Maneeswaran and Manishvara. His name is a compound of the word
mani, which means ‘Saint’, and the name ‘Ishvara’,
a title given to
Shiva. As
such, he is considered a form of Shiva and his weapon is accordingly a trident (trisula).
In temples, usually
lemons are placed
upon the prongs. They are a medium or
go-between of the gods, used to eradicate ominous spirits and ghosts, as
well as bad things. Maneeswarar is generally worshiped either as a fierce
deity, or as a peaceful god. Those who worship him in his fierce
form offer animal sacrifices, liquor, and lit cigars or cigarettes,
which are placed in his mouth. Those who worship him in his peaceful
form offer him
roti
and
rice milk. He is often worshipped alongside
Karuppu.
Sometimes transcribed Muneeswarar. See also
mani.
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Man Fatt Lam (万佛林)
Chinese. Name of a
Mahayana
Buddhist temple in
Singapore,
that serves mainly as a funeral and cremation centre.
READ ON.
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Maneki-neko (招き猫)
Japanese.
‘Beckoning Cat’.
According
to legend, the wooden house of an old woman in Tokyo caught fire one
day. Unaware of what was happening, her cat beckoned the old woman
to follow her outside, using her paw. Curious of what the cat was up
to the lady followed outside and was consequently saved from burning
to death. Hence, figurines of a beckoning cat are believed to bring
good luck. Later on, statues of a beckoning
cat that makes a welcoming gesture with one paw, often holding an ancient coin
with the other, appeared. They are said to invite happiness and good fortune, its meaning dependent on its colour. Thus, a white cat invites happiness
whilst a golden cat brings
richness. If its left paw is raised it invites prosperity. It is often found displayed
in shops to attract good business. In Thai called
Maew Kwak. See also
Nang Kwak.
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Mangkala Ubon (มังคลอุบล)
Thai. Name for a species of
water lily,
with the botanical name Nymphaea mangkala ubol and commonly as the
Mangala-ubol Water Lily.
READ ON.
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mangkon (มังกร)
Thai for
dragon.
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Mangkonkan (มังกรกัณฐ์)
Thai name of a giant or
yak
from the
Ramakien
(fig.).
In a previous
incarnation, he was the
buffalo
Torapi (fig.).
After he was slain in a fight by the monkey-king
Phali (fig.),
due to a curse of the god
Idsuan,
he was now reborn as the son of
Phaya
Khon (พญาขร), who
is also referred to as
Phraya
Khon (พระยาขร), and
Nang
Ratchada (รัชฎา). He joined
Indrachit
in battle against
Rama,
when Indrachit shot the
nagabaat,
i.e. the arrow that changed into a
naga
and tied Rama and
Lakshmana
down,
but was
eventually killed himself by an arrow of
Phra Ram.
He has a green (fig.) to greenish-blue complexion and wears a
chadah-style
crown, which is topped with the figure of a naga,
similar to
Wirunhok (fig.).
He
is
one of the 12 giants that stand guard
at the check-in hall of
Bangkok's
International Airport
Suwannaphum
(fig.),
as well as one of the 12
giants, set up in 6 pairs, that guard the entrances in the enclosure
of the Temple of the
Emerald Buddha
(fig.),
i.e.
Wat Phra Kaew
in
Bangkok,
where he is erected in pair with
Wirunhok
(fig.).
He is also one of the giants in the
thepchumnum (fig.)
of the two golden
redented chedis
at the compound, in which 4 monkeys and 16 giants from the Ramakien
support the base of these
pagodas, which were built by
King
Rama I
to house the ashes of his parents, i.e. those of his mother in the
gilded
chedi
on the North, and those of his father in the gilded chedi on the
South. In
Khon,
i.e. Thai traditional dance, the masked dancer may wear a mask with
a golden face with just a few green decorative lines by which this
giant can than be identified as such.
See also
LIST OF RAMAKIEN CHARACTERS & NAMES,
and
TRAVEL PICTURE.
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mangkut (มังคุค)
Thai
for
mangosteen.
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mang ming (หมั่งหมิง)
Thai-Chinese. Chinese method in which unwanted facial hairs are
removed by putting Chinese toilet powder on the face whilst using a set of
strings, that are pinched together to grab the hairs and pull them
out. It is amongst others practiced on the sidewalks of Charoen
Krung Road in Yaowaraht,
Bangkok's
Chinatown.
The method claims to also help prevent acne, but is said to be
rather painful, especially around certain spots, such as the lips,
the hairline and the eyes.
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mango
Name of an evergreen, long-lived, tropical fruiting tree (fig.), that
can grow well
over thirty meters tall and has the Latin botanical name Mangifera indica.
READ ON.
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Mango Baron
Common name for a
butterfly with the scientific
designation Euthalia aconthea
garuda and
native to
Sri
Lanka, India and Southeast
Asia, including
Thailand,
where it is referred to as
phi seua
baron
non
ma muang
(ผีเสื้อบารอนหนอนมะม่วง).
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mangosteen
Evergreen tree
of the genus Garcinia mangostana which grows up to twelve meters with
fruits of the same name in a purple shell. It is known as the
‘queen of fruits’, with
the
durian being the
‘king of fruits’. Its sweet cream-coloured flesh is soft, succulent and made up
of several pieces. At the bottom of the thick rind is a small flowerlike
‘crown’ of which the number of ‘petals’ indicate how many peaces of flesh of fruit are
inside. It is thus possible to tell from the outside how many slices it will
have on the inside. It
is generally believed that eating this fruit gives renewed strength and lowers the
body temperature. Its season is from April to
September. In Thai called
mangkut.
It belongs to the same genus as the
madan
(Garcinia schomburgkiana pierre).
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Mango-stem Borer
A species of beetle in the
family Cerambycidae and with the scientific name Batocera
rufomaculata.
READ ON.
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mangrove
Name of a tropical tree or shrub
growing in coastal wetlands
near brackish and salt water areas of estuaries, including coastlines and shores.
READ ON.
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Mangrove Apple
Species of
mangrove, with the
scientific name Sonneratia alba.
It grows up to 15 meters tall and has thick,
cone-shaped
prickle roots, called pneumatophores, which are used to exclude salt and that allows it to
grow in and near saline water. It has no buttresses roots and its
bark is creamy grey to brown, with slight vertical fissures. The
bark of young trees is covered with a layer of wax, which most
likely serves to protect it against water loss, as well as attacks
by creatures great and small. Its fruit consists of circa 4 centimeters
large, green, leathery berries, with a star-shaped base, that
contain tiny, white seeds. They are are flattened and buoyant, and
when ripe
the fruit is edible and is said to taste like cheese. The rounded,
leathery leaves are also edible and may be eaten either raw or
cooked. Besides this, the tree is used for firewood, though it is
not the preferred mangrove tree for this purpose.
In Thai
it is known as
lamphaen
thalae,
which could be translated as ‘Sea
Sonneratia’. It is one of four species of
Sonneratia
found in Thailand,
the others being Sonneratia
caseolaris, Sonneratia ovate and Sonneratia griffithii.
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Mangrove Catsnake
A mildly poisonous
snake in the family Colubridae and
with the scientific name Boiga dendrophila melanota. It is often
seen in South-East Asia, including in West Malaysia,
Singapore,
Indonesia, Cambodia,
Vietnam and Thailand, and of all Boiga
dendrophila subspecies, this is the one with the largest
distribution area. The body and tail are glossy black with narrow
yellow bars, which sometimes are no more than a few spots and do not
usually meet over the back.
The
Mangrove Catsnake can grow up to about 2.5 meters in
length and may have up to 54 bands or groups of spots.
This snake is very defensive and will hiss and
strike repeatedly when disturbed or provoked. Though rear-fanged, it
can open it's mouth very wide and could sink its fangs into a
person. Once it bites, it will hold on and chew, though its venom is
rarely harmful to humans. Mangrove Catsnakes
are found in
mangrove swamps and along forest streams in humid lowland forests, where they can often be
seen on branches overhanging water. In Thailand they are mostly
found in the South. It is generally referred to as
Mangrove Snake and in Thai it is called
ngu plong
thong, meaning ‘Golden-segment
snake’.
See also WILDLIFE PICTURES.
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Mangrove Pitta
Common name for a small terrestrial bird, with the
scientific name Pitta
megarhyncha.
It is one of
twelve species of Pitta, that occur in Thailand,
and a resident breeder. It is very similar tot the
Blue-winged Pitta,
which only comes to Thailand to breed, yet differs by a thicker and
longer bill, and the near absence of the black line on the crown.
Its natural habitat includes
mangrove forests. In Thai it is called
nok taew laew pah gohng gahng.
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Mangrove Pit Viper
A highly aggressive and fierce, venomous
pit viper. Though dangerous, its bite
is rarely fatal to humans. This nocturnal
snake is found in
mangrove and lowland forests. It has a blackish olive-brown crown with
granular head scales and its body, which is greenish yellow with
dark blotches, is strongly keeled. The abdominal scales are white
with black edges, whilst the subcaudals, i.e. the scales on the
underside of the tail, are mainly black. A light, almost white line
on the first row of scales bordering the abdomen may be present. A
second colour variety is uniformly purplish brown. As with all
pit vipers, it is distinguished by the presence of a heat-sensing
pit organ located between the eye and the nostril on either side of
the head (fig.). Its diet consists
of lizards, birds, rodents and frogs. It has the binomial
name Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus and in Thai it is called
ngu phang
kah. Also known as Shore Pit Viper.
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Mangrove
Terrapin
Common name for a large species of river
turtle
with the scientific designation Batagur baska.
It is one of the largest turtles in the family of Emydidae, reaching
a carapace length of at least 60 centimeters. Its carapace has
smooth scutes, making it perfectly modified for swimming in the
tidal currents of
mangrove
estuaries. Typically, it has four claws on its front
legs. Adult males are somewhat smaller than females, and have
longer, thicker tails. Also known as Giant River Turtle and in Thai
called
tao kra-ahn.
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mangsawirat (มังสวิรัติ)
Thai term for
‘vegetarian’, often used as a synonym for
jae,
which literally means ‘fasting’, yet traditionally refers to a
period of time when one refrains from eating meat, and hence becomes
vegetarian. See also
Vegetarian Festival.
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Mangu (曼谷)
Chinese. ‘Large valley’ or ‘beautiful valley’. Name for
Bangkok. See also
Big Mango.
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Ma Ngwe Taung (မငွေတောင်)
Burmese. ‘Miss
Silver Mountain’.
Name of a female so-called outside
nat,
i.e. a nat
that
does not belong to the official pantheon
of 37
nats
worshipped in
Myanmar.
She is described
as the spirit of a Hindu woman of Burmese Indian descent, who was
seduced by the nat
Min Kyawzwa (fig.) when both were still humans.
She was eventually abandoned by him and pined for him so much that
her brother became angry and pushed her off a cliff near Monywa. As
a nat she now helps women abandoned by husbands or lovers. An annual
festival is held in her honour, in which devotees would bring
offerings, though as she was a Hindu, beef offerings are strictly
forbidden. She is also known as simply Ngwe Taung.
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mani
(मणि, มณี)
Sanskrit. ‘Gem’ or ‘jewel’.
Name for flat stones, stone plates, rocks
and pebbles from Tibet that have mantras, prayers or sacred
script written on them. Mani stones are piled
up and are considered very holy, hence they should never be picked
up or collected. Mani walls at Buddhist locations are built of stones with sacred inscriptions.
The largest pile of mani stones is located in Tibet and has over two
billion stones. The idea is that
how
bigger the pile gets the more benefit it will bring, a
principle reminiscent of that with
Buddha images of which it is believed
that the
bigger they are or the
more there are gathered together,
the more energy they radiate.
Buddhist
prayer wheels are
also known as mani wheels (fig.).
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Mani (มานิ)
Name of an ethnic minority group
of Negrito people found in the southern Thai provinces.
READ
ON.
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Manibhadra (मनिभद्र)
Sanskrit.
Protector of travellers and ruler of
the
yakshas.
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Mani Mekhala (มณีเมขลา)
See
Mekhala.
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manioc
Common name for a small plant
(fig.) of the genus Manihot, mainly
cultivated in
the province of
Kanchanaburi for its thick root from which
tapioca is
harvested (fig.).
It is
also known as
cassava
and in Thai called
mansampalang and
mansamrohng.
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man jihn (มันจีน)
Thai. ‘Chinese tuber’. A kind of edible root,
also known as man thet (มันเทศ), which is mainly sold on markets,
especially Chinese ones, such as along
Yaowaraht
Road in
Bangkok's
Chinatown. It
is a kind of sweet potato that looks
like a elongated potato but with a reddish-purple skin. On the
outside, it looks similar to another root called man muang (มันม่วง),
but the former has a reddish-purple skin with yellow flesh, while
the flesh of ma muang is purple. Both varieties are cultivars of a
plant with the same binomial name, i.e. Ipomoea batatas. However,
darker sweet potatoes are also referred to as yam and dark purple
tubers, i.e. the roots of a plant with the
botanical
names Dioscorea alata
and Dioscorea rubella,
as
purple yam (fig.).
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Manjushri
(मंजुश्री)
Sanskrit. The god of learning and wisdom, a
bodhisattva of
Mahayana Buddhism.
The name is a compound combining manju (मञ्जु), meaning
‘gentle’, and
sri
(श्री), i.e.
‘glory’.
His
attribute is
a scroll or book, which represents the
Prajnaparamita, whilst his mount is a
lion, and his consort
Sarasvati,
the wife of
Brahma in
Hinduism.
He is sometimes depicted wielding a flaming sword in his right hand,
symbolizing his realization of wisdom, which cuts through ignorance
and wrong views, whilst the scroll or book represents his attainment of
ultimate wisdom and
Enlightenment. In art, especially in
Chinese and sometimes in Thai
iconography, he is also
depicted riding a lion and holding a
ruyi
in the form of a
lotus (fig.).
In
China,
he is known as ‘the bodhisattva of keen awareness’ and called
Wen Shu (fig.), which means
‘Unique Culture’, and in Tibetan art, he is sometimes
depicted in a wrathful form, usually with multiple arms (fig.),
and in his ferocious manifestation as
Yamantaka (fig.).
He is one of the
Eight Great Bodhisattvas
(fig.).
Also spelled Manjusri and Manchusri,
and in Thai
known as
Phra
Manchusri
Photisat
(พระมัญชุศรีโพธิสัตว์
-
fig.). Although under dispute, some
sources say that the northeastern Chinese tribe, that eventually
became the last Imperial Dynasty of China, i.e. the
Manchu
Dynasty, which is also known as the Qing Dynasty, was named after Manchusri.
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Manmatha (मन्मथ)
Sanskrit.
‘Churner or agitator [of the mind]’. An epithet of
Kama, the god
of love. See also
Madana.
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manohara (मनोहर)
Sanskrit for ‘enchanting’.
Manohra, the
name of the longest
existing dance drama
in Thailand, is derived
from it.
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Manohra (มโนห์รา)
1. Thai. Longest existing dance drama in Thailand with similar themes to the
Ramakien.
READ ON.
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2. Daughter of the King of the
kinnons,
who eventually marries
Phra Suthon.
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Manorah (มโนราห์)
Thai. Another spelling for
Manohra.
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Man Phoorithattoh (มั่น ภูริทตโต)
Thai. Name of a revered Buddhist
monk, who is usually referred to as
Phra Ajaan Man, i.e. ‘Determined
Teacher Monk’. He was born in
Ubon Ratchathani
on 20 January 1870 AD and passed away on 11 November 1949 in
Sakon Nakhon.
He preferred a solitary life in the forest and in caves, and is
credited with establishing the
Thai Forest Tradition, in which
practitioners dwell in so-called forest temples called
wat pah.
He was very
persistent and became known as the greatest meditation teacher in
Isaan.
Hence, he was a very sought after personality for advice on
Enlightenment
and
meditation. Being a
bhikku from the Isaan region, the largest statue of
Luang Poo
Man in the world is today found in
Nakhon Ratchasima (fig.
-
map),
i.e.
the Gate to
Isaan
(fig.
-
map).
The name Phoorithattoh drives from Phoorithatta (ภูริทตต), which
means ‘Dispenser of Wisdom’.
See also
TRAVEL PICTURE and POSTAGE STAMP.
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mansampalang (มันสำปะหลัง)
Thai name for
manioc, the
plant
from which root
cassava or
tapioca is made.
Also
mansamrohng.
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mansamrohng (มันสำโรง)
Thai name for
manioc,
the plant from which root
cassava or
tapioca is made.
Also
mansampalang.
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mantis shrimp
See
kang.
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mantra (मन्त्र)
Sanskrit.
‘Mystical syllables’. A mystical incantation or religious chant. It
has a magical intention when used by Hindus. A stimulating phonetic symbol that evokes and revives the
deity being worshipped. Its sound is more important than its meaning.
One of the most commonly seen and heard incantations is the six
syllable mantra
Aum mani
padma hum. In Thai
pronounced
mon. See also
om.
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Mantrayana (मन्त्रयान)
See
Vajrayana.
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manussa (မနုဿ)
Pali-Burmese term for
‘human’.
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manussaloka (မနုဿလောက)
Pali-Burmese. ‘Human world’,
i.e. one of the
six lower
celestial worlds in Buddhism, that make up the
kamaloka,
i.e. the world of the five senses. The
term is a compound of the words manussa and
loka, and the Thai word manut (มนุช),
which means ‘human’, derives of the Pali word manussa.
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Manuthiha (မနုဿီဟ)
Pali-Burmese. ‘Man-lion’.
Name of
a mythological, sphinx-like
creature, with a body that is half man and half lion, found in
Myanmar.
It is often
found as sculptural art in temples, depicted on the corners of
zedi.
According to legend, it was created by Buddhist monks to protect
newborn royalty. It
is similar to
Phaya Purisat
(fig.),
a mythological creature in Thai lore, depicted as a
half-lion,
half-giant-angel or half-yak-and-thep, and
─being an celestial
being─ typically also with wings.
Additionally,
Manuthiha
also resembles
Narasimha, yet differs in this that the latter
has the body of a man with the head of a lion, whereas in Manuthiha
the head and front body are those of a man and the back that of a
lion. It could rather be seen as the Burmese equivalent of the Thai
Thepnorasi
(fig.),
but sitting rather than standing or walking upright. Statues of
Manuthiha can also be found in Thailand (fig.),
especially in towns close to the border with
Myanmar, e.g.
Sangkhlaburi,
Mae Hong Son,
Mae Saai, etc. Pronunciation is Manu Thi Ha, yet it is also referred
to as Manussiha, a compound term that consists of the words
manussa,
meaning ‘human’;
and
siha,
meaning ‘lion’. See also
Phaya Purisat.
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Manutsayanaak Manop (มนุษยนาคมานพ)
Thai. ‘Human
naga of the people’ or ‘he who is a
naga among men’. Royal name at birth of a prince, who went on to
become the tenth
Supreme Patriarch
of Thailand, in office from 1910 to 1921 AD. He was the 47th child
of King
Mongkhut, i.e.
Rama IV
(fig.).
As
Phrasangkaraat
he was given the
clerical
name
Wachirayahnawarohrot. Due to his royal
descent, this patriarch may in Thai be referred to as
Phrasangkaraat
Chao, rather
than the usual
Phrasangkaraat,
which is used for patriarchs who were born as commoners.
See also POSTAGE STAMPS.
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mao bi (毛笔)
Chinese. ‘Hairy pen’ or ‘furry writing brush’. Name for an ink brush
used in
Chinese calligraphy and painting (fig.).
They are normally made from real animal hair, such as goat’s hair,
rabbit hair or the tail hairs of a weasel, and with a stalk from
bamboo, although other materials, such as baby hair and stalks made
from
jade,
ivory,
sandalwood
or other
precious materials, are also used for more luxurious brushes.
Synthetic materials are not used. In English it is called Chinese
writing brush or ink brush and it is part of the
wen
fang si bao (fig.).
When not in use, the
brushes are hung to dry on a special rack called a
bijia (fig.).
See also TRAVEL PICTURES.
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maphlab (มะพลับ)
A Thai name for
persimmon.
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ma-poo (มะปู่)
Thai. Short for
makheua
poo.
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maprahng (มะปราง)
Thai. Name for a
plum-like tropical fruit tree native to Southeast Asia and with the scientific
botanical name
Bouea
macrophylla,
commonly
known as
gandaria.
The sweet fruits are edible and have a somewhat hard, yet thin yellowish skin. Its fruiting season is from March
to April. When young, also the leaves of the tree can be eaten and
may be used in salads.
There are
two similar varieties, i.e.
mapring
(Bouea oppositifolia),
known by
the common names kundang and remenia;
and
mayong
(Bouea burmanica
-
fig.),
commonly known as marian plum. There is yet another species with the
binomial name Bouea microphylla, which in Thai is also referred to
as mapring. However, since Bouea microphylla shows some differences
from Bouea oppositifolia, it has been reinstated as a distinct
species, and while the two species are morphologically close, the
former differs in its smaller leaves and fruits, as well as its
inflorescence position. All varieties are related to the
mango tree
and are hence in English often indiscriminately referred to as plum
mango (fig.) or mango plum.
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maprao (มะพร้าว)
Thai
for
coconut.
Also transcribed maphrao.
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mapring (มะปริง)
A variety of the
maprahng,
with the botanical name
Bouea oppositifolia and
known by the
common names kundang and remenia. The Thai name is also used for
another species with the binomial name Bouea microphylla. Since
Bouea microphylla shows some differences from Bouea oppositifolia,
it has been reinstated as a distinct species, and while the two
species are morphologically close, the former differs in its smaller
leaves and fruits, as well as its inflorescence position. Like the
other genera it is also commonly referred to by the umbrella name
plum mango
(fig.).
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maqbara
(مقبرا,
मक़बरा)
Arabic-Hindu.
‘Place of burial’. A term used either for a
Muslim tomb (fig.),
or for a chamber or compartment within a larger mausoleum, to refer
to the exact location of the grave. The term derives from the word
qabr, which means ‘grave’. Though the term in general refers to the
graves of all Muslims, it is especially used to refer to the graves
of exemplary Muslim figures who dedicated their life in service to
Islam.
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maqsura (مقصورة)
Arabic.
‘Closed-off space’. The arched façade of a mosque, Also
transcribed maqsurah.
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ma-ra (มะระ)
See
bitter gourd.
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Mara
(मार)
Sanskrit. ‘Destroyer, tempter’. Name of an important god that rules over the
eleven levels of the
World of Desire, derived from the
Sanskrit root mri of the word
mriti, meaning ‘death’, and thus the god of desire and death. He is the personification of evil and one of the five devils that tried to tempt the
Buddha just before his
Enlightenment. Although Mara tried to hinder him by sending him certain
distractions
Siddhartha
Gautama seated in
meditation
under the
bodhi tree in
Bodh Gaya refused to leave
until he had found true understanding. He is usually portrayed in a fierce form
with several arms, and in India he is found in the
pratyalidha
asana
(fig.).
In both Thailand and in
Myanmar, he is often
portrayed with a sword trying to stop
the
Siddhartha
and
his
horse
Kanthaka
during the
Great Departure
(fig.).
In Thai pronounced
Maan.
See also
mriti and
amrita.
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marapajon (มารผจญ)
Thai.
‘Battle with
Mara’. Thai term that refers to
the scene during
maravijaya.
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maravichaya
Another transliteration for
maravijaya.
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maravijaya (मारविजया, มารวิชัย)
Sanskrit-Pali-Thai.
‘Victory over
Mara’. A name for the most common
mudra in Thai-Buddhist
iconography, also known as
bhumisparsa. It symbolizes the
episode from the
Buddha's legendary life story when
he was seated in
meditation under a fig tree in
Bodh Gaya and vowed not to leave
from there until he had gained
Enlightenment. Mara,
the god of desire and death, tried to hinder him by sending a number of
distractions and temptations, including some young girls. Upon this the Buddha
touched the earth with his right hand calling for the goddess of earth
Mae Phra Thoranee (fig.).
She came to his aid by wringing water from her long hair thus washing Mara
and his army of demons away, a scene in Thailand known as
marapajon (fig.).
In this way the Buddha was saved from the temptations of desire and called upon the
earth goddess to bear witness of his accumulated merits from former lives. The Buddha
made this mudra seated in the
half lotus position. Occasionally this
episode is portrayed with a
pahng nahg prok posture (fig.). Also
maravichaya.
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Marbled Cat
Common name of a small wild cat with an arboreal life-style, which
is found in South and Southeast Asia. Similar in size to a domestic
cat, it is easily distinguished by its long and densely furred tail,
which may be as long as or longer than its body, as well as its
large feet. It has a thick fur, that varies in background colour
from dark grey-brown to red-brown, and which is patterned with dark
spots on the forehead and crown, that merge into narrow longitudinal
stripes on the neck, and irregular stripes on the back.
Additionally, the back and flanks are marked with dark, irregular
dark-edged marks, whilst the legs and underparts are patterned with
black blotches. The long tail has black spots proximally and black
rings distally. The Marble Cat has the
scientific designation Pardofelis marmorata and is listed as
endangered, with an estimated population of less than 10,000.
As such, it occurs on a Thai postage stamp issued in 1975 as part of
a set on protected wild animals (fig.),
and again in 2011, as part
of a set on wild cats (fig.) in an effort to promote awareness for
this vulnerable animal, as well as for wildlife conservation in
general. The Marble Cat
is said to be closely related to the
Asian Golden Cat (fig.).
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Marble Temple
See
Wat Benjamabophit.
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mareuk (มฤค)
Thai for a male
deer.
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mareukathaiwan (มฤคทายวัน)
Thai name
for
Mrigadava.
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mareuki (มฤคี)
Thai for a female
deer.
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Mariamman (மாரியம்மன்)
Tamil.
‘Mother Mari’, with amman meaning ‘mother’ and the word mari meaning ‘cloud’ or ‘clouds’, ‘rain’ and ‘shower’.
Name
for an
incarnation
of the goddess
Kali
in South India, where she is considered
to be the goddess of rain. Her mount is the
lion.
Worldwide, there are
many temples
dedicated to this Hindu deity, most of them of Tamil origin.
She is also referred to as
Sri Mariamman,
Maha
Mariamman and
Sri
Maha
Mariamman.
Sometimes
transliterated Mariyamman.
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Marian Plum
Common name for the
mayong, a
fruit tree with the botanical name
Bouea burmanica
(fig.).
See
also
maprahng.
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Mariht (มารีศ)
Thai. Name of a giant or
yak
from the
Ramakien.
He is the son of
Kaaknasoon
and has a white
complexion. He was ordered to spy on
Nang
Sida
(fig.)
and in order to accomplish this goal, he changed himself into a
golden deer, referred to in Thai as
Kwahng Thong (fig.).
When Sida saw the golden deer, she wished to posses it and asked
Phra Ram
(fig.)
to catch it for her. However, Phra Ram realized the deer to be a
demon in disguise and hence shot and killed it with his arrow. Also
transcribed Mareet and Mahrit.
See also
LIST OF RAMAKIEN CHARACTERS & NAMES.
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marihuana
See
gancha.
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Marina Bay
Name of a vibrant and
iconic district located in the heart of Singapore.
READ
ON.
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Marina Bay Sands
Name of an iconic
integrated resort in
Singapore
that is known for its distinctive architecture and luxurious
amenities. The
building is a resort that houses over 2,500 luxurious hotel rooms
and suites with modern designs, making it one of the largest hotels
in Singapore. Besides
a luxury hotel, it also
features a convention center, a casino, and a high-end shopping mall.
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Marshal of the Central Altar
A title given to
Nezha,
the
Taoist
child-deity, which in Chinese is
Zhong Tan Yuan Shua,
literally ‘First Commander of the Central Alter’.
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Marsh Crocodile
See
jorakae.
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marsh mint
See
saranae.
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ma-rum (มะรุม)
Thai designation for a tree with the botanical
name Moringa oleifera and commonly known as Horseradish Tree or just Moringa. It has extremely high nutritional value and
virtually every part of it can be used, but it are the pods that are
the most healthy, containing all the essential amino acids, as well
as many vitamins and other nutrients. The green, immature pods can
be eaten raw or prepared, whereas the mature pods are usually fried.
They also yield an edible oil, which has a nutritional value
comparable to that of olive oil and besides being clear, sweet and
odourless, it is also said to never becomes rancid. In addition, the
tree's leaves can be eaten as greens or used for seasoning, the
flowers -which are rich in potassium and calcium- are edible but
need to be fried or cooked, whilst its root is used as a substitute
for horseradish, and the bark for tanning. Besides all of this, the
tree also has several medicinal uses and the seeds, especially the
seed-cake that remains after the oil has been extracted, have the
ability to purify water. Not surprisingly, this tree is sometimes
described as nutritional dynamite.
Like the Cassia fistula (rachaphreuk),
it is also nicknamed Drumstick Tree.
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Maruts (मरुत्)
Sanskrit.
Vedic storm gods made by the
rishi
Kashyapa for the goddess Diti, the mother of the
asuras, who had asked him for a son
powerful enough to destroy
Indra,
as a revenge for killing the asuras. Her embryo, however, got cut into pieces by Indra who entered her womb with his thunderbolt, and their number increased
somewhere between 21 and 180, depending on the myths that narrate their origin.
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masayid (مَسْجِدٌ, มัสยิด)