melintas

Melintas is an Indonesian verb meaning to cross or pass over from one side to the other. It is commonly used to describe moving across physical barriers such as roads, rivers, or borders, as well as to indicate passing by a location. The word is formed with the prefix me- and the root lintas, which carries the sense of crossing or spanning.

Usage and examples:

In everyday language, melintas often refers to vehicles or people moving across a road or at an intersection: Kendaraan melintas di persimpangan itu. The phrase can also describe crossing a river or other landscape with the aid of a bridge or crossing point: Kami melintas sungai itu dengan jembatan. For broader or more formal contexts, the synonym melintasi is commonly used: Negara itu melintasi beberapa negara bagian saat eksplorasi.

Grammatical note:

Melintas is typically used as an intransitive verb and can be paired with location phrases such as di persimpangan, di jalan, di depan, or di sepanjang. In more formal prose, melintasi often appears when referring to crossing large distances, borders, or regions, e.g., melintasi wilayah, melintasi perbatasan.

Related terms:

Lintas, the root meaning cross or crossing; lintasan meaning a crossing or path; perlintasan referring to a crossing point such as a pedestrian crossing or railway crossing. Distinctions among melintas, melintasi, and melewati hinge on nuance: melintas emphasizes crossing from side to side, while melewati is more about passing by a point or along a route, and melintasi conveys greater scope or extent in crossing.