Dictionary

agar-agar en · NOUN · etymology 1

Etymology

Borrowed from Malay agar-agar (“jelly”).

Meanings

1. (uncountable) Agar.
   • That done, you heat soya milk with oil and several flakes of agar-agar – a tasteless vegan alternative to gelatine – which dissolve into the liquid over 10 minutes, except they don’t, not really. 2018 July 19, Zoe Williams, “Can ditching meat and dairy open up new taste sensations? My week as a foodie vegan”, in The Guardian:
2. (Malaysia, Singapore, uncountable) A jelly dessert made from agar.

agar-agar en · ADJ · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /ˈɑɡɑ ˌɑɡɑ/ (Singapore)

Etymology

From Malay agak-agak. Here, the letter k represents a glottal stop, but it is elided by many speakers in Singapore.

Meanings

1. (Singapore, Singlish, alt-of, alternative, not-comparable) Alternative spelling of agak-agak (“involving guesswork”).
   alt of agak-agak

agar-agar en · VERB · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /ˈɑɡɑ ˌɑɡɑ/ (Singapore)

Etymology

From Malay agak-agak. Here, the letter k represents a glottal stop, but it is elided by many speakers in Singapore.

Meanings

1. (Singapore, Singlish, alt-of, alternative, invariable) Alternative spelling of agak-agak (“to estimate”).
   alt of agak-agak
   • So I just got to agar-agar lor. 2018, Jean Tay, Sisters & Senang: The Island Plays, Epigram Books, →ISBN, Scene 17, page 99: