benda

Benda is a term used in multiple contexts, most prominently in Indonesian and Malay. In these languages, benda means "object" or "thing" and refers to any tangible item as well as, in some uses, to matters or concepts in general. It is a common everyday word and appears in a range of phrases and collocations.

In practice, benda is a countable noun. One might say satu benda or sebuah benda to mean "one object," and benda-benda to indicate multiple items. Phrases such as benda hidup (living things) and benda tidak hidup or benda mati (inanimate objects) distinguish between living and non-living entities. The term also appears in descriptive expressions like benda berharga (valuable item) and benda seni (art object). In astronomy-related speech, benda langit is used to refer to celestial bodies.

Benda as a surname exists in Central Europe, particularly among Czech- and German-speaking populations. The name is historically associated with a family of musicians and composers in the 18th century and has since appeared in various contexts within music and academia. As a proper noun, Benda can also occur as a place name or other geographic or personal identifiers in different languages and regions.

Overall, benda functions primarily as a generic noun for objects in Indonesian and Malay, while also serving as a family name and occasional proper noun in other linguistic and cultural contexts. When encountered, its meaning is best inferred from surrounding words and the language context.