gelar

Gelar is a term used in Indonesian and Malay to denote a title or degree conferred upon a person, or the act of conferring or presenting such an award. It can function as both a noun and a verb in Indonesian, and it appears in formal and academic contexts as well as everyday usage.

As a noun, gelar commonly refers to academic or honorary titles and degrees. Examples include gelar sarjana (bachelor’s degree), gelar magister (master’s degree), gelar doktor (doctorate), and gelar kehormatan (honorary degree). In formal writing and speech, a person’s gelar may accompany their name or be cited when listing credentials.

As a verb, the related form menggelar means to lay out, spread, or stage. It is used for organizing or presenting events, such as menggelar konferensi (to host a conference) or menggelar pameran (to stage an exhibition). It can also describe spreading out objects, for instance menggelar karpet (to roll out a carpet) or menggelar buku di meja.

Etymology traces gelar to Malay and Indonesian usage, with the noun and verb forms sharing a core sense of attribution, display, or arrangement. In Malay, related terms such as gelaran are commonly used to refer to titles in a social or ceremonial sense, while in Indonesian the word more often emphasizes academic credentials and formal designation.

Overall, gelar functions as a concise label for credentials and as a dynamic verb capturing the acts of presenting, authorizing, or staging something in social, ceremonial, or administrative contexts. It reflects how titles and ceremonies structure recognition in Indonesian and Malay-speaking communities.