diemban

Diemban is a verb form found in Indonesian and Malay that conveys the sense of something being carried, borne, or entrusted by someone. It is formed by prefixing the passive di- to the root emban, which means to carry or shoulder. The construction emphasizes that the burden or duty is borne by the subject rather than undertaken actively by them. In usage, diemban often appears with nouns such as beban (burden), tanggung jawab (responsibility), or tugas (task). For example: "Beban kerja diemban oleh tim IT." "Tanggung jawab itu diemban oleh manajer proyek." "Peran itu diemban oleh seorang konsultan." In many contexts, diemban describes duties assigned or accepted rather than spontaneously undertaken, giving it a formal or bureaucratic nuance.

By contrast, active counterparts include mengemban (to undertake or shoulder something) and menanggung (to bear or endure). The related passive diembankan (to be entrusted with) is used when someone is explicitly entrusted with a duty by another party. The term is common in formal writing, official reports, and news language, though it remains understandable in everyday Indonesian, especially in contexts with strong Malay influence.

Etymology traces emban to Malay; di- marks the passive voice, and together they yield diemban, a form attested in Indonesian and Malay with similar meanings.