tummang

[tum:aŋ]

coolness after overheating; feeling of returned mental clarity after one's body temperature lowers

Western Pantar – 10,000 speakers, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

Pantar Island has few sources of potable water, and work and travel during the dry season can lead to heat exhaustion, including fatigue, dizziness, and faintness. Once overheated, without access to water, one must wait in the shade or relative coolness of evening for one's body temperature to lower. This subtle and gradual cooling is accompanied by a returned mental clarity and almost euphoric sense of well being, known as tummang.

Tummang is an experiencer verb which takes a patientive pronoun. Thus, one cannot initiate tummang; rather, tummang is something that happens, beyond the speaker's control. Naing tummang. 'I have cooled down' (with the implication that I have come out of my stupor and am ready to get on with my work).

Source: Holton and Lamma Koly (2008). Kamus Pengantar Bahasa Pantar Barat.

Credits: Mahalalel Lamma Koly, Gary Holton