Elang

Elang is a term used in Indonesian and Malay languages with several related senses. Most commonly, elang means "eagle," a large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. In everyday Indonesian and Malay, elang denotes eagles in general rather than a single species; the specific species present in a region are named separately (for example, the steppe eagle or the crested eagle in different contexts). The word is part of the broader family of Austronesian animal names and can appear in compound forms and idioms.

In addition to its zoological sense, elang is used in proper names and cultural references. It appears in personal names, business names, and place names in Indonesia and Malaysia, reflecting the bird's cultural associations with strength and freedom. In heraldry and symbolism, eagle imagery is prominent, and elang is sometimes used as a native-language equivalent in such contexts or in translated texts. The term Garuda is a related but distinct symbol in Indonesian culture representing a divine eagle.

See also: Eagle, Garuda.