Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Sumatra

Sumatra

10 4.1
A large mountainous island in western Indonesia with dense jungles and rare animals
  • proper noun
  • /suːˈmɑːtrə/
translation icon : Sumatra
  • In 1938, northern Sumatra emerged as the largest single oil-palm exporter in the world.
  • the island of Sumatra
  • northern Sumatra
  • South Sumatra

Examples

  • His ship had run aground on an island way west of Sumatra.

    King Kong (2005)

  • The island of Sumatra once contained 100,000 orangutans, less than 7,000 remain.

    Time to Choose (2015)

  • I have my own place in Sumatra that we built.

  • May I ask what you ladies are doing here in Sumatra?

    Paradise Road (1997)

  • None of us will ever leave Sumatra.

    Paradise Road (1997)

  • Closing my eyes, I almost believed I saw a hidden isle, way west of Sumatra.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • We're flying to my mom's resort in Sumatra.

    Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

  • The volcano Toba is located in Indonesia on the island of Sumatra, which lies close to the equator.

    Blog text (3)

  • The Straits of Malacca are located between the east coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra and the west coast of peninsular Malaysia.

    Academic text (2005)

  • We are planning a vacation to Sumatra to explore its beautiful landscapes.

Compounds

benzoin Sumatra
  • Specialized
8.8

A fragrant sticky substance from a tree in Sumatra used in perfumes, incense, and medicines

Surface Forms

Sumatra main

Etymology

Sumatra comes from the old Sanskrit word Samudra, which means 'ocean' or 'sea'. That's why the island is called Sumatra — think of it as the 'ocean island' to help you remember.