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.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /məˈleɪ̯/, /meɪ̯ˈleɪ̯/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈmeɪ̯leɪ̯/, /məˈleɪ̯/
• (Philippines) IPA^(key): /mɐˈlaɪ̯/
• Rhymes: -eɪ
• Homophone: melee

Malay (not comparable)

1. Of or relating to the Malays, a people living in Brunei, on the eastern coast of Sumatra, the islands of Bangka and Belitung, the Riau archipelago and the coastal areas of Kalimantan in Indonesia, in most of Malaysia (states where they are politically dominant), in Singapore and in the southernmost provinces of Thailand.
   • 1955 April, “Notes and News: A Journey through Thailand”, in Railway Magazine, page 286:

     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.

   • 2008, Preeta Samarasan, Evening is the Whole Day, Fourth Estate, page 124:

     “I heard the Malay fellas talking at the office.”

2. (generally proscribed by Malays and Malaysians) Of or related to Malaysia, its people and/or culture.
3. In, of or otherwise relating to the languages spoken by Malays.

Malay (countable and uncountable, plural Malays)

1. (countable) A person of Malay ancestry, referring to a diverse group of Austronesian peoples inhabiting the Malay archipelago and Malay peninsula in Southeast Asia.
2. Type of mild curry made with yoghurt and fruit, usually pineapple or lychee.

   She ordered chicken Malay with rice.

• (language) Bahasa, Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia

• Malaya
• Malayan
• Malaysia

Malay

1. (broad sense) 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.
2. (strict sense) 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.
   • 2021 April 25, John Malathronas, “Which languages are easiest – and most difficult – for native English speakers to learn?”, in CNN‎^[1], archived from the original on 22 March 2022:

     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.

3. A municipality of Aklan, Philippines.

   👁 Image
   

    Malay, Aklan on Wikipedia

   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

   Coordinate terms: Altavas, Balete, Banga, Batan, Buruanga, Ibajay, Kalibo, Lezo, Libacao, Madalag, Makato, Malay, Malinao, Nabas, New Washington, Numancia, Tangalan — municipalities of Aklan

• Malayalam
• Wiktionary’s coverage of Malay terms
• Appendix:Malay Swadesh list for a Swadesh list of basic vocabulary words in Malay

• “Malay”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• ISO 639-1 code ms, ISO 639-3 code msa (SIL)
• Ethnologue entry for Malay, msa 👁 Paid subscription required
  ⁠, a macrolanguage including:

Related Languages:

• Ethnologue entry for Ambonese Malay, abs 👁 Paid subscription required
  ⁠
• Ethnologue entry for Baba Malay, mbf 👁 Paid subscription required
  ⁠
• Ethnologue entry for Balinese Malay, mhp 👁 Paid subscription required
  ⁠
• Ethnologue entry for Banda Malay, bpq 👁 Paid subscription required
  ⁠
• Ethnologue entry for Kupang Malay, mkn 👁 Paid subscription required
  ⁠
• Ethnologue entry for Makassar Malay, mfp 👁 Paid subscription required
  ⁠

• Lamay, Yamal

Doublet of Melayu.

Malay

1. (colloquial) clipping of Malaysia

Malaysians themselves never use this word to shorten the name of their country, as it is commonly known there as the English ethnonym (i.e. an exonym) for all Malay peoples in general including Malay Indonesians; they shorten their country's name as M'sia instead.

Borrowed from English Malay, from Malay Melayu. Doublet of Malayo.

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /maˈlaj/ [mɐˈlaɪ̯]
• Rhymes: -aj
• Syllabification: Ma‧lay

Maláy (Baybayin spelling ᜋᜎᜌ᜔)

1. Malay (language)

   Synonym: Malayo

2. a municipality of Aklan, Philippines; location of Boracay island

Maláy (Baybayin spelling ᜋᜎᜌ᜔)

1. Malay (person)

   Synonyms: Malayo, Malaya

Maláy (Baybayin spelling ᜋᜎᜌ᜔)

1. Malay (pertaining to Malays)

   Synonym: Malayo

• “Malay”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 2018

• lamay

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