memacu

Memacu is a transitive verb used in Indonesian and Malay that means to spur, drive forward, or accelerate something. It can describe both physical movement and the acceleration of processes, activities, or developments, typically implying deliberate effort, initiative, or policy to increase speed or momentum.

In everyday and formal usage, memacu appears in contexts ranging from concrete actions to abstract progress. Examples include memacu kendaraan (to accelerate a vehicle), memacu pertumbuhan ekonomi (to spur economic growth), memacu inovasi teknologi (to accelerate technological innovation), and memacu produksi nasional (to boost national production). The term is common in media, government discourse, business discussions, and academic writing when emphasizing the push to speed up outcomes.

Linguistically, memacu is formed with the prefix me- attached to the root pacu, a word associated with pushing or driving forward. It carries a nuance of proactive effort and directional force, setting it apart from synonyms like mendorong (to push or encourage) and mempercepat (to accelerate) by emphasizing an active, dynamic push toward faster progress.

See also: acceleration, spur, economic policy, innovation.