VVV,
What I understand as a golok is a short , heavy chopping knife, with a blade that has a swelling towards the tip which increases the force of the blow. Something like a khukri would be if it were straight, instead of bent.It is certainly a word that is used in Indonesian, Javanese, and Balinese, but I do not know from which language it originates. I suspect Malay. Personally, I think of a golok more as a tool than as a weapon. However, in Solo we refer to a certain type of scabbard and mated handle that we use for tombak, as "stel golok", that is, "golok dress".
I don`t think that people in the western world have bastardised or misapplied the word golok, I rather feel that golok may have already entered the English language, as I have seen some military forces issue tools and weaponry that I seem to recall were described as "golok form" by an officer who had no knowledge of Indonesian or Malay languages.
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