Khmer
/kmɛː
/noun (plural same or Khmers)
1An ancient kingdom in SE Asia which reached the peak of its power in the 11th century, when it ruled over the entire Mekong valley from the capital at Angkor. It was destroyed by Siamese conquests in the 12th and 14th centuries.
2A native or inhabitant of the ancient Khmer kingdom.In the absence of piling, the ancient Khmers often used sand to provide a homogeneous foundation for their structures....
- Around 1260 the kingdom of Sukhothai became independent from the Khmers and King Rama Khamheng declared Theravda the state religion.
- Other civilizations - the Khmer, Maya, Anasazi have also disappeared and resource over-exploitation is being suggested as a possible contributor in many cases.
3A native or inhabitant of Cambodia.Many prostitutes are trafficked from Viet Nam, but most are ethnic Khmers, the majority race in Cambodia....
- Of course it was the Burmese, not the Khmer, who successfully laid siege to and then sacked Ayutthaya in 1767.
- I quickly came to remember why the Khmer have a reputation for huge smiles.
4 [mass noun] The language of the Khmer, belonging to the Mon-Khmer family. It is the official language of Cambodia, spoken by about 7 million people. Also called Cambodian.Proceedings will be conducted in Cambodia's official language Khmer with English, French and Russian translations....
- According to the bill, the tribunal will be located in Phnom Penh and the proceedings conducted in Cambodia's official language Khmer, with English, French and Russian translations.
- The official language is Khmer, and French is the second most common language.
adjective
Relating to the Khmer or their language.In the 1990s there was a cultural revival among the Khmer in the northeast that included the formation of dance and music groups to promote Khmer culture....
- It was worth it, as it is one of the most beautiful and important historic Khmer sites in Thailand.
- By the end of the decade, Khmer nationalism began to reassert itself against the traditional Vietnamese enemy.
Origin
The name in Khmer.