Malay

See also: Malay.

English

Etymology

Recorded in English since 1598; 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 (Bok-la-yu or Mok-la-yu), 麻里予兒 (Ma-li-yu-er), 巫来由 (Wu-lai-yu) and 無来由 (Wu-lai-yu). The oldest known inscriptions in the Malay language were found at Kedukan Bukit and Talang Tuo, both in the vicinity of Palembang in southern Sumatra, and at Kota Kapur on Bangka island west of Sumatra. They are respectively dated 673, 684 and 686. Exonymous derivation from Malayalam മല (mala, “mountain”) has not been demonstrated.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /məˈleɪ/, /ˌmeɪˈleɪ/
• IPA^(key): /ˈmeɪleɪ/, /məˈleɪ/
• Rhymes: -eɪ

Adjective

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.
2. (usage generally frowned upon by Malays and Malaysians) Of or related to Malaysia, its people and/or culture.
3. In, of or otherwise relating to Malay, a generic name for the languages spoken by Malays.

Derived terms

• Deutero-Malay
• Malay apple
• Proto-Malay

Translations

of the Malay people

• Armenian: մալայական (hy) (malayakan)
• Burmese: ပသျှူး (my) (pa.hsyu:), မလေး (ma.le:)
• Catalan: malai (ca) m, malaia (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 馬來人的／马来人的 (zh), 马来人的 (zh) (Mǎláirén de)

• Czech: malajský (cs)
• Danish: malaysisk (da), malajisk (da)
• Dutch: Maleis (nl), Maleisich
• Finnish: malaiji- (fi), malaijien (fi)
• French: malais (fr)
• German: malaiisch
• Greek: της Μαλαισίας f (tis Malaisías) (genitive of Malaya)
• Hungarian: maláj (hu)
• Icelandic: malajískur
• Indonesian: Melayu, orang Melayu
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Macedonian: малајски (malajski)
• Malay: orang Melayu, Melayu
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: malayisk (no), malaysisk

  Nynorsk: malayisk, malaysisk (nn)

• Persian: مالایی (Mâlâyi)
• Polish: malajski (pl) m
• Portuguese: malaio (pt) m, malásio
• Russian: мала́йский (ru) (malájskij)
• Scottish Gaelic: Malaidheach
• Slovak: malajský
• Spanish: malayo (es)
• Tagalog: Malayo
• Thai: มลายู (má-laa-yuu)

• Catalan: malaisi (ca) m, malàisia (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 馬來西亞的／马来西亚的 (zh), 马来西亚的 (zh) (Mǎláixīyà de)

• Czech: malajský (cs)
• Danish: malaysisk (da), malajisk (da)
• Dutch: Maleisisch (nl)
• Finnish: malesialainen (fi)
• French: malais (fr)
• German: malaiisch
• Hungarian: maláj (hu)
• Icelandic: malasískur
• Macedonian: малајски (malajski)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Malay: Malaysia (ms)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: malayisk (no), malaysisk

  Nynorsk: malayisk, malaysisk (nn)

• Persian: مالزیایی (Mâleziyâyi)
• Portuguese: malaio (pt), malásio
• Russian: мала́йский (ru) (malájskij)
• Scottish Gaelic: Malaidheach
• Slovak: malajský
• Spanish: malayo (es)
• Tagalog: Malayo

in, of or otherwise pertaining to the Malay language

• Catalan: malai (ca) m, malaia (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 馬來語的／马来语的 (zh), 马来语的 (zh) (Mǎláiyǔ de)

• Danish: malaysisk (da), malajisk (da)
• Dutch: Maleis (nl)
• Finnish: malaijinkielinen
• French: malais (fr)
• Hawaiian: ʻōlelo Malaia
• Icelandic: malajískur
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Indonesian: bahasa Melayu (id)
• Malay: bahasa Melayu
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: malayisk (no), malaysisk

  Nynorsk: malayisk, malaysisk (nn)

• Persian: مالایی (Mâlâyi)
• Portuguese: malaio (pt)
• Spanish: malayo (es)
• Tagalog: Malayo

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Afrikaans: ^{(please verify)} Maleis (af)
• Albanian: ^{(please verify)} Malajzian
• Amharic: ^{(please verify)} ማላይኛ (malayña)
• Arabic: ^{(please verify)} ماليزيَة f
• Basque: ^{(please verify)} malaysiera (eu)
• Belarusian: (malozijskaja) ^{(please verify)} малозійская (malózijskaja)
• Bulgarian: (malajski) ^{(please verify)} малайски (malajski)
• Cherokee: (Mele) ^{(please verify)} ᎺᎴ (chr) (mele)
• Estonian: ^{(please verify)} Malai
• Georgian: (malaiziuri) ^{(please verify)} მალაიზიური (malaiziuri)
• Hebrew: (malaya) ^{(please verify)} מלאית
• Hindi: ^{(please verify)} मलय (hi) (malay)
• Korean: (malei-eo) ^{(please verify)} 말레이어 (ko) (malleieo)
• Latvian: ^{(please verify)} Malajiešu
• Lithuanian: ^{(please verify)} Malajiečių, ^{(please verify)} Malajietiškai
• Macedonian: (maleziski) ^{(please verify)} Малезиски (Maleziski)
• Maltese: ^{(please verify)} Malazjan, ^{(please verify)} Malajan
• Moksha: ^{(please verify)} малайень (malajeń)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Mongolian: (malayz) ^{(please verify)} малайз (malajz)
• Nepali: ^{(please verify)} मलाया (malāyā)
• Occitan: ^{(please verify)} malai
• Persian: ^{(please verify)} مالزیایی (maleziyayi)
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} malaeză
• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} Malajski
• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} малезијски, ^{(please verify)} malezijski (sh)
• Slovene: ^{(please verify)} Malajščina
• Swahili: ^{(please verify)} Kimalaysia, ^{(please verify)} Kimalasia
• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} malajiska (sv)
• Tamil: ^{(please verify)} மலேசியன் (malēciyaṉ)
• Tatar: ^{(please verify)} малай (tt) (malay)
• Thai: ^{(please verify)} ภาษามาเลย์ (th) (paasăa maalay)
• Turkish: ^{(please verify)} Malezyaca
• Ukrainian: ^{(please verify)} малайський (malajsʹkyj)
• Urdu: ^{(please verify)} مالائ (malāī)
• Walloon: ^{(please verify)} Malay
• Welsh: ^{(please verify)} Malai
• West Frisian: ^{(please verify)} Maleisk (fy)

Noun

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.

3. (uncountable) The Malay language, an Austronesian language spoken by most Malay people and in states they dominate.

Synonyms

• (language) Bahasa Malaysia

Related terms

• Malaya
• Malayan
• Malaysia

Translations

Malay person

• Armenian: մալայացի (malayacʻi)
• Catalan: malai (ca) m, malaia (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 馬來人／马来人 (zh) (Mǎláirén), 马来人 (zh) (Mǎláirén)

• Czech: Malajec m
• Danish: malaysier, malaj
• Dutch: Maleier (nl) m
• Esperanto: malajo (man or woman), malajino (woman)
• Finnish: malaiji (fi)
• French: Malais (fr) m, Malaise (fr) f
• German: Malaiie m, Malaiin f
• Greek: Μαλαισιανός m (Malaisianós), * Greek: Μαλαισιανή f (Malaisianí)
• Hungarian: maláj (hu)
• Icelandic: Malaji m
• Indonesian: Melayu, orang Melayu
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Macedonian: Малаец m (Malaec), Малајка f (Malajka)
• Malay: orang Melayu
• Maltese: Malajan m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: malay m

  Nynorsk: malay m

• Persian: مالایی (Mâlâyi)
• Polish: Malaj m, Malajka (pl) f
• Portuguese: malaio (pt) m, malásio m
• Russian: мала́ец (ru) m (malájec), мала́йка (ru) f (malájka)
• Scottish Gaelic: Malaidheach m
• Slovak: Malajec m
• Spanish: malayo (es) m
• Tagalog: Malayo

type of curry

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

the Malay language

• Arabic: لُغَة مِلَايُو f (luḡat milāyū)
• Armenian: մալայերեն (hy) (malayeren)
• Basque: malaiera (eu)
• Catalan: malai (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 馬來話／马来话 (maa⁵ loi⁴ waa^6-2), 马来话 (maa⁵ loi⁴ waa^6-2), 馬拉話／马拉话 (maa⁵ laai¹ waa^6-2), 马拉话 (maa⁵ laai¹ waa^6-2)

  Hakka: 馬來語／马来语, 马来语 (Mâ-lòi-ngî)

  Mandarin: 馬來語／马来语 (zh) (Mǎláiyǔ), 马来语 (zh) (Mǎláiyǔ)

  Min Nan: 馬來語／马来语, 马来语 (Má-lâi-gí, Má-lâi-gú)

• Czech: malajština (cs) f
• Dutch: Maleis (nl) n
• Esperanto: Malaja
• Finnish: malaiji (fi)
• French: malais (fr) m
• German: Malaiisch (de) n
• Greek: μαλαισιανά n pl (malaisianá)
• Hungarian: maláj (hu)
• Icelandic: malajíska (is) f
• Indonesian: bahasa Melayu (id), Melayu
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Irish: Malaeis f
• Japanese: マレー語 (ja) (marēgo)
• Korean: 말레이어 (ko) (malleieo)
• Macedonian: малајски m (malajski)
• Malay: bahasa Melayu
• Manx: Malayish f
• Navajo: Maléízha bizaad
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: malayisk (no) m

  Nynorsk: malayisk m

• Persian: زبان مالایی (zabân-e Mâlâyi)
• Polish: malajski (pl)
• Portuguese: malaio (pt) m
• Russian: мала́йский язы́к (ru) m (malájskij jazýk), мала́йский (ru) m (malájskij)
• Scottish Gaelic: Malaidhis f
• Spanish: malayo (es) m
• Swedish: malajiska (sv)
• Tagalog: Malayo
• Thai: ภาษามาเลย์ (th) (paasăa maalây), ภาษามลายู (th)
• Vietnamese: tiếng Mã-lai (vi), tiếng Mã lai

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked‌: "person"

• Afrikaans: ^{(please verify)} Maleis (af)
• Albanian: ^{(please verify)} Malajzian
• Amharic: ^{(please verify)} ማላይኛ (malayña)
• Arabic: ^{(please verify)} ماليزيَة f
• Basque: ^{(please verify)} malaysiera (eu)
• Belarusian: (malozijskaja) ^{(please verify)} малозійская (malózijskaja)
• Bulgarian: (malajski) ^{(please verify)} малайски (malajski)
• Cherokee: (Mele) ^{(please verify)} ᎺᎴ (chr) (mele)
• Danish: ^{(please verify)} malaysisk (da), ^{(please verify)} malajisk (da)
• Estonian: ^{(please verify)} Malai
• French: ^{(please verify)} malais (fr)
• Georgian: ^{(please verify)} მალაიზიური (malaiziuri)
• Hebrew: (malaya) ^{(please verify)} מלאית
• Hindi: ^{(please verify)} मलय (hi) (malay)
• Korean: (malei-eo) ^{(please verify)} 말레이어 (ko) (malleieo)
• Latvian: ^{(please verify)} Malajiešu
• Lithuanian: ^{(please verify)} Malajiečių, ^{(please verify)} Malajietiškai
• Macedonian: (maleziski) ^{(please verify)} Малезиски (Maleziski)
• Maltese: ^{(please verify)} Malazjan, ^{(please verify)} Malajan
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Moksha: ^{(please verify)} малайень (malajeń)
• Mongolian: (malayz) ^{(please verify)} малайз (malajz)
• Nepali: ^{(please verify)} मलाया (malāyā)
• Occitan: ^{(please verify)} malai
• Persian: ^{(please verify)} مالزیایی (maleziyayi)
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} malaeză
• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} Malajski
• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} малезијски, ^{(please verify)} malezijski (sh)
• Slovene: ^{(please verify)} Malajščina
• Swahili: ^{(please verify)} Kimalaysia, ^{(please verify)} Kimalasia
• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} malajiska (sv)
• Tamil: ^{(please verify)} மலேசியன் (malēciyaṉ)
• Tatar: (malay) ^{(please verify)} малай (tt) (malay)
• Thai: ^{(please verify)} ภาษามาเลย์ (th) (paasăa maalay)
• Turkish: ^{(please verify)} Malezyaca
• Ukrainian: ^{(please verify)} малайський (malajsʹkyj)
• Urdu: ^{(please verify)} مالائ (malāī)
• Walloon: ^{(please verify)} Malay
• Welsh: ^{(please verify)} Malai
• West Frisian: ^{(please verify)} Maleisk (fy)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked‌: "language"

• Afrikaans: ^{(please verify)} Maleis (af) n
• Albanian: ^{(please verify)} Malajzian
• Amharic: ^{(please verify)} ማላይኛ (malayña)
• Arabic: ^{(please verify)} ماليزيَة f
• Belarusian: (malozijskaja) ^{(please verify)} малозійская (malózijskaja)
• Bulgarian: (malajski) ^{(please verify)} малайски (malajski)
• Cherokee: (Mele) ^{(please verify)} ᎺᎴ (chr) (mele)
• Danish: ^{(please verify)} malaysisk (da), ^{(please verify)} malajisk (da)
• Estonian: ^{(please verify)} Malai
• Georgian: ^{(please verify)} მალაიზიური (malaiziuri)
• German: ^{(please verify)} Malaiisch (de)
• Hebrew: (malaya) ^{(please verify)} מלאית
• Hindi: ^{(please verify)} मलय (hi) (malay)
• Korean: (malei-eo) ^{(please verify)} 말레이어 (ko) (malleieo)
• Latvian: ^{(please verify)} Malajiešu
• Lithuanian: ^{(please verify)} Malajiečių, ^{(please verify)} Malajietiškai
• Macedonian: (maleziski) ^{(please verify)} Малезиски (Maleziski)
• Maltese: ^{(please verify)} Malazjan, ^{(please verify)} Malajan
• Moksha: ^{(please verify)} малайень (malajeń)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Mongolian: (malayz) ^{(please verify)} малайз (malajz)
• Nepali: ^{(please verify)} मलाया (malāyā)
• Occitan: ^{(please verify)} malai
• Persian: ^{(please verify)} مالزیایی (maleziyayi)
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} malaeză
• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} Malajski
• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} малезијски, ^{(please verify)} malezijski (sh)
• Slovene: ^{(please verify)} Malajščina
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} malayo (es)
• Swahili: ^{(please verify)} Kimalaysia, ^{(please verify)} Kimalasia
• Tamil: ^{(please verify)} மலேசியன் (malēciyaṉ)
• Tatar: (malay) ^{(please verify)} малай (tt) (malay)
• Thai: ^{(please verify)} ภาษามาเลย์ (th) (paasăa maalay)
• Turkish: ^{(please verify)} Malezyaca
• Ukrainian: ^{(please verify)} малайський (malajsʹkyj)
• Urdu: ^{(please verify)} مالائ (malāī)
• Walloon: ^{(please verify)} Malay
• Welsh: ^{(please verify)} Malai
• West Frisian: ^{(please verify)} Maleisk (fy)

See also

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

Further reading

• “Malay”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• (international standards) language code for [[w:ISO 639:Malay|]].. It's a family or related languages. The individual ones are:

• Ethnologue entry for Bacanese Malay, btj ⁠
• Ethnologue entry for Berau Malay, bve ⁠
• Ethnologue entry for Bukit Malay, bvu ⁠
• Ethnologue entry for Cocos Islands Malay, coa ⁠
• (international standards) language code for [[w:ISO 639:Malay|]].
• Ethnologue entry for Jambi Malay, jax ⁠
• Ethnologue entry for Kedah Malay, meo ⁠
• Ethnologue entry for Kota Bangun Kutai Malay, mqg ⁠

• (international standards) language code for [[w:ISO 639:Malay|]].
• Ethnologue entry for Manado Malay, xmm ⁠
• Ethnologue entry for North Moluccan Malay, max ⁠
• Ethnologue entry for Pattani Malay, mfa ⁠
• Ethnologue entry for Sabah Malay, msi ⁠
• (international standards) language code for [[w:ISO 639:Malay|]].
• Ethnologue entry for Tenggarong Malay, vkt ⁠

Related Languages:

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

Anagrams

• Lamay, Yamal

---

Tagalog

Proper noun

Malay

1. A municipality of Aklan, Philippines; location of Boracay island.