Rafflesian
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɹəˈfliː.ʒən/
ipa: /ɹəˈfliː.ʒɪ.ən/
ipa: /ɹəˈfliː.zɪ.ən/
ipa: /ɹəˈfli.ʒən/
ipa: /ɹəˈfli.ʒi.ən/
ipa: /ɹəˈfli.zi.ən/
Etymology: From Raffles, the surname of Sir Stamford Raffles (1781–1826) + -ian (suffix forming adjectives or nouns meaning ‘belonging to, relating to, or like’).
Senses: examples: text: A specimen of this species belongs to the Rafflesian collection; but it is believed that it was brought from Borneo, whence Sir Stamford obtained some valuable subjects of Natural History, particularly the two following subjects.
ref: 1830, [Lady Sophia Raffles, née Sophia Hull], “Catalogue of Zoological Specimens”, in Memoir of the Life and Public Services of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, F.R.S. &c. […], London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, page 641:
text: Lee Kong Chian's multilingual and multicultural vision was more moderate and was far more in line with the original Rafflesian vision for education in Singapore—indeed, what the British Government had hoped for the colony.
ref: 2003, Chan Kwok Bun, Tong Chee Kiong, editors, Past Times: A Social History of Singapore, Singapore: Times Editions, →ISBN, page 29:
text: Untamed, "exotic," Borneo figures as an imperialist outpost of adventure that has run to seed from the beginnings: rotten from within. Lingard, the elusive commercial explorer whose speculation on an inland river ruins Almayer, embodies the circulating myths of a gentlemanly imperialism, of what has been pointedly termed the "Rafflesian aspirations" of Victorian businessman doubling as would-be adventurers of empire, […]
ref: 2005, Tamara S. Wagner, Occidentalism in Novels of Malaysia and Singapore, 1819–2004: Colonial and Postcolonial Financial Straits and Literary Style (Studies in British Literature; 97), Lewiston, N.Y.; Lampeter, Ceredigion, U.K.: Edwin Mellen Press, →ISBN, page 96:
glosses: Of or relating to Sir Stamford Raffles, a British colonial statesman known for his founding of modern Singapore and British Malaya.
examples: text: But Philip Liau was always in the thick of Rafflesian life and he made his impact in much more subtle and direct ways. His closeness to his teachers was exemplified by the fact that he regarded them with respect and allowed no one to take them for granted.
ref: 1989, E[ugene] Wijeysingha, The Eagle Breeds a Gryphon: The Story of the Raffles Institution 1823–1985, Singapore: Pioneer Book Centre, →ISBN, page 272:
text: Raffles Junior College, which is 11 years old, is part of the Rafflesian family, and so falls under the umbrella of the Old Rafflesian Association.
ref: 1992, Singapore Bulletin, Singapore: Publicity Division, Ministry of Culture, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 13, column 2:
text: RGS [Raffles Girls’ School] gave me a very good education academically. It taught me there were no limits to what I could achieve, if I only tried hard and had talent. […] Many of us have a deep-seated urge to achieve, whether in school or at work or in our persona life. […] Rafflesian girls are assertive[…].
ref: 2003 November 16, Chua Mui Hoong, “Laments of a girl from RGS”, in The Straits Times, Singapore, page L16; quoted in Michael D. Barr, Zlatko Skrbiš, “Sorting the ‘Scholars’ from the ‘Commoners’: Secondary School and Junior College”, in Constructing Singapore: Elitism, Ethnicity and the Nation-building Project (Democracy in Asia; no. 11), Copenhagen: NIAS Press, 2008, →ISBN, page 199:
glosses: Of or relating to an educational institution named after Sir Stamford Raffles.
Related terms: Raffles
rafflesia
Rafflesia
Rafflesia arnoldii
Rafflesiaceae
Raffles's malkoha