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• pontianak
  pontianak

  noun

  jelutong.
• Pontianak
  Pontianak

  noun

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

pontianak

¹ American  

[pon-tee-ah-nahk] / ˌpɒn tiˈɑ nɑk /

noun

1. jelutong.

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Pontianak ² American  

[pon-tee-ah-nahk] / ˌpɒn tiˈɑ nɑk /

noun

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

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Pontianak ¹ British  

/ ˌpɒntɪˈɑːnæk /

noun

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

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pontianak ² British  

/ ˌpɒntɪˈɑːnæk /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of pontianak

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pontianak Pontianak

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

From Slate ● Feb. 1, 2019

On the island of Borneo, the mayor of the city of Pontianak ordered schools closed due to the smoke wafting over the city from fires elsewhere.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

After bouncing around various sites in Indonesia, in 2016 I found myself in Pontianak, a prison camp for asylum seekers.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2023

Similar protests occurred in other cities, including Bandung, Yogyakarta, Makassar and Pontianak.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 11, 2022

She is cast in a movie as the Pontianak: a mythological, cannibalistic beauty, created when a deformed girl makes a deal with a shaman to become beautiful.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 19, 2018

There were in the area that is now Dutch Borneo several independent Malay Sultans, of which the principal had their capitals at Pontianak, Banjermasin, and Kotei.

From The Pagan Tribes of Borneo by Alfred C. (Alfred Cort) Haddon