Membesar

Membesar is a verb in Indonesian and Malay that means to become bigger or to enlarge. It can refer to physical size, quantity, or intensity, depending on the context. The base adjective besar means big, and membesar is formed with the common prefix me-, producing an intransitive sense such as the subject itself growing larger.

Intransitive use examples: air di sungai membesar saat musim hujan (the river’s water level rises during the rainy season); badan seseorang membesar akibat penyakit tertentu (a person’s body can enlarge under certain conditions).

The related causative form membesarkan, formed with the suffix -kan, means “to enlarge/magnify something” or “to make something bigger.” This transitive form is used when a subject causes another object to grow, as in membesarkan rumahnya (he enlarges his house) or membesarkan kapasitas produksi (to increase production capacity).

There is also a common idiom with reduplication, membesar-besarkan, which means to exaggerate or overstate something. It is used when describing stories, problems, or conditions that are made to seem larger or more serious than they are.

Etymology: membesar is derived from besar with the Indonesian/Malay verb prefix me-, a productive derivational pattern in both languages. The corresponding noun is pembesaran (enlargement).

Usage notes: membesar covers natural growth and enlargement in physical or abstract terms, while membesarkan emphasizes causing growth in an object. In modern Indonesian and Malay, both forms are widely understood, including in technical and everyday language.