Malay
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Malay
- /məˈleɪ̯/ UK
- /meɪ̯ˈleɪ̯/ UK
- /ˈmeɪ̯leɪ̯/ US
- /məˈleɪ̯/ US
- /mɐˈlaɪ̯/ Philippines
Sounds like melee · Rhymes with -eɪ
Where it comes from
From Malay Melayu, from Malayu, a kingdom on Sumatra's eastern coast (today's Jambi), mentioned by the Chinese Monk Yijing as 末羅瑜國 and during the Yuan (1271–1368) and Ming (1368–1644) dynasties as 木剌由, 麻里予兒, 巫來由 and 無來由. First attested in English as 1598.
Exonymous derivation from Malayalam മല (mala, “mountain”) has not been demonstrated.
adjective
- Of or relating to the Malays, a people living in Brunei and coastal regions of Borneo including Kalimantan in Indonesia, on the eastern coast of Sumatra, the islands of Bangka and Belitung, the Riau archipelago, in most of the Malay Peninsula including the southernmost provinces of Thailand, states of West Malaysia (where they are politically dominant in the federation), and in Singapore. There were not many passengers, and the journey was uneventful until the frontier was reached at Padang Besar, although an armed escort of Malay police accompanied the train from Alor Star.
- In, of or otherwise relating to the languages spoken by Malays.
noun Malays
-
A person of Malay ancestry, referring to a diverse group of Austronesian peoples inhabiting the Malay archipelago and Malay peninsula in Southeast Asia.
Similar: Bahasa, Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia
- Type of mild curry made with yoghurt and fruit, usually pineapple or lychee. She ordered chicken Malay with rice.
proper noun
- The Malay language, an Austronesian language spoken by most Malay people and by others where it is an official language, including under the name Indonesian.
- The Malay language, an Austronesian language spoken by most Malay people and by others where it is an official language, excluding the national standard known as Indonesian. Malay is the lingua franca of several Southeast Asia countries and has been simplified by its use as a second language by non-native speakers. For example, the Malay plural is formed by repeating a word twice – buku means book and buku-buku means books.
- A municipality of Aklan, Philippines. Meronyms: Argao, Balabag, Balusbus, Cabulihan, Caticlan, Cogon, Cubay Norte, Cubay Sur, Dumlog, Manoc-Manoc, Motag, Naasug, Nabaoy, Napaan, Poblacion, San Viray, Yapak — barangays of Malay
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: malaysian, malaysia, malaya, malaise, discomfort, austronesian, melayu, malayic, malayo-polynesian, bahasa, bumiputera, riau, jawi, rumi, baba, aslian
Translations
Every language
adj of the Malay people
| Español | malayo |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 馬來人的 /马来人的 Mǎláirén de |
| हिन्दी | मलय malay |
| Português | malaio, malásio |
| Français | malais, malay |
| Deutsch | malaiisch |
| Italiano | malese |
| Русский | мала́йский malájskij |
adj in, of or otherwise pertaining to the Malay language
| Español | malayo |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 馬來語的 /马来语的 Mǎláiyǔ de |
| हिन्दी | मलय malay |
| Português | malaio |
| Français | malais, malay |
| Italiano | malese |
noun Malay person
| Español | malayo |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 馬來人 /马来人 Mǎláirén |
| हिन्दी | मलय malay, मलेशियाई maleśiyāī |
| Português | malaio, malásio |
| Français | Malais, Malaise, Malay, Malaye |
| Deutsch | Malaiie, Malaiin |
| Ελληνικά | Μαλαισιανός Malaisianós, Μαλαισιανή Malaisianí |
| Русский | мала́ец malájec, мала́йка malájka |
name the Malay language
| Español | malayo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 말레이어 malleieo, 마인어 maineo |
| 日本語 | マレー語 marēgo |
| 中文 | 馬來語 /马来语 Mǎláiyǔ |
| हिन्दी | मलय malay |
| Português | malaio |
| Français | malais, malay |
| Deutsch | Malaiisch |
| Italiano | malese |
| Ελληνικά | μαλαισιανά malaisianá |
| Русский | мала́йский язы́к malájskij jazýk, мала́йский malájskij |
| Tiếng Việt | tiếng Mã-lai, tiếng Mã lai |
| العربية | لُغَة مِلَايُو luḡat milāyū |
Talk about this word "Malay." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/malay. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. Malay. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/malay "Malay." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/malay.Cite this
@misc{malay_2026,
title = {Malay},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/malay},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
