It can handily be derived as a diminutive formation of كُبَّة (kubba, “spherule; meatball”); however Persian کبابه چینی (kabâba-yi čînî), کباب چینی (kabâb-i čînî, “cubeb”) and Urdu کَباب چینی (kabāb cenī) / Hindi कबाबचीनी f (kabābcīnī, “cubeb”) may also lay claim upon this word as more complete forms and closer to the plant’s home in Srivijaya. It could be a calque of Old Javanese kumukus (“cubeb; smoke”), from kukus (“smoke, steam”), based on a connection to Arabic كُبَّة (kubba, “meatball”) or كَبَاب (kabāb, “roast meat, kebab”) respectively Persian کباب (kabâb, “roast meat, kebab”) or Hindi कबाब (kabāb, “roast meat, kebab”). However also present in Classical Syriac ܟܒܳܒܳܐ (kəḇāḇā, “cubeb”), which can be put to ܟܽܘܒܴ݁ܐ (kubbā, “spine”) used for various spiny plants, and would explain the vowel variation.