tertelan

Tertelan, also written ter telan in some contexts, is an Indonesian-language verb meaning to be swallowed or swallowed up. The form is derived from the root telan (to swallow) with the prefix ter-, which marks a passive, involuntary, or incidental action. In use, tertelan describes a situation where the subject is the recipient of the swallowing, not the one performing it.

In ordinary and journalistic style, tertelan can refer to both literal and figurative swallowing. Literally, it describes objects or beings that have been engulfed by a larger force or substance: for example, a car swallowed by mud after a landslide or a coastline swallowed by a powerful wave. Figuratively, it can convey that something has been overwhelmed or absorbed by something else, such as attention, rumors, or crowds, though the metaphorical sense is less common than the physical sense.

Grammatically, tertelan is a passive or intransitive-like form derived from telan. The agent causing the swallowing (if stated) typically appears with oleh, though it is often omitted in concise narration. The phrase tidak tertelan would express that something has not been swallowed. The word is widely understood in Indonesian-speaking contexts and appears in news reporting, literature, and everyday speech to convey the experience of being engulfed or absorbed.

See also: telan, menelan, terteroboh; for related forms and contrasts in Indonesian, explore tertelan’s active counterpart menelan.