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Melayu. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
Melayu, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
Melayu in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
Melayu you have here. The definition of the word
Melayu will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
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English
Etymology
Borrowed from Malay Melayu.
Noun
Melayu pl (plural only)
- The Malay ethnic group.
Anagrams
Indonesian
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Malay Melayu.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key):
- Hyphenation: mê‧la‧yu
Proper noun
Melayu
- Malay (ethnic group)
- Malay (language)
Adjective
Melayu
- Malay (pertaining to ethnic group or language)
Derived terms
- bahasa Melayu (“Malay language”)
- orang Melayu (“Malay people”)
Malay
Etymology
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), 巫來由 (Wu-lai-yu) and 無來由 (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. Possibly cognate with Old Javanese malayū (“to run, to run away, to flee”), referring to the Musi river at Palembang.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /məlaju/
- Rhymes: -ju, -u
- Hyphenation: Me‧la‧yu
Proper noun
Melayu (Jawi spelling ملايو)
- Malay (ethnic group, people, and language)
- Synonym: Jawi
- orang Melayu ― Malay people
- bahasa Melayu ― the Malay language
Affixations
Compounds
Further reading