Malay
/məˈleɪ
/noun
1A member of a people inhabiting Malaysia and Indonesia.Chinese, Thais, Malays and Indonesians, for example, love the display of multiple forms, shapes, and colours....
- Original settlers included Thais, Malays, Indians and Chinese - and their influences are very apparent in the food.
- Many Malays and Indonesians have been economically successful and feel secure in their faith and position in the community.
1.1A person of Malay descent.
2 [mass noun] The Austronesian language of the Malays, closely related to Indonesian and spoken by about 20 million people.Thai is the official language of the country, with English the most widely spoken second language; Chinese and Malay are also spoken....
- The population of Indonesia is 228,000,000 and their languages are Malay, English and Dutch.
- They have strong ties to Malaysia, speak a dialect of Malay and identify themselves as Pattanis rather than Thais.
adjective
Relating to the Malays or their language.The year 1931 was a benchmark in the church's history as the first mass in the Malay language was held....
- He developed an exquisite style and precise vocabulary that are unique to his Malay writings and language.
- During the general elections, at least half of Malay voters, the country's politically strongest ethnic group, supported the opposition.
Origin
From Malay Malayu (now Melayu).