Ethnic Malays - Etymology

Etymology

The ethnonym "Melayu" to refer to a distinct ethnic group is believed to have been popularized during the consolidation of the Melaka Sultanate as a regional power in the 15th century. It was used to describe the cultural preferences of the Melakans as against foreigners from the same region, notably the Javanese and Thais. Prior to the 15th century, the term and its other spelling variants can be found in various foreign and local sources referring to either historical kingdoms or geographical parts of Malay archipelago.

• Malayadvipa - appeared in chapter 48, Vayu Purana. It literally means "mountain-insular continent" and described as one of the provinces in the mythical eastern archipelago that was full of gold and silver. Some scholars equate the term with Sumatra, but several Indian scholars believe the term should refer to the more mountainous Malay peninsula, while Sumatra is more correctly associated with Suvarnadvipa.
• Maleu-kolon - appeared in Ptolemy's work, Geographia. It is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit term malayakolam or malaikurram, referring to a geographical part of Malay Peninsular.
• Mo-Lo-Yu - mentioned by I Ching who visited the Malay Archipelago between 688–695. The Mo-Lo-Yu kingdom was located in a distance of 15 day sail from Bogha (Palembang), the capital of Sribhoga (Srivijaya). It took a 15 day sail as well to reach Ka-Cha (Kedah) from Mo-lo-yu; therefore, it can be reasoned that Mo-Lo-Yu would lie halfway between the two places. A popular theory relates Mo-Lo-Yu with the Jambi in Sumatra, however the geographical location of Jambi contradict with Yi Jing's description of a "half way sail between Ka-Cha (Kedah) and Bogha (Palembang)". In the later Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368) and Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), the word Ma-La-Yu was mentioned often in Chinese historical texts - with changes in spelling due to the time span between the dynasties - to refer to a nation near the southern sea. Among the terms used was "Bok-la-yu", "Mok-la-yu" (木剌由), Ma-li-yu-er (麻里予兒), Oo-lai-yu (巫来由) - traced from the written source of monk Xuan Zang), and Wu-lai-yu (無来由).
• Malaiur - inscribed on the south wall of the Brihadeeswarar Temple. It was described as a kingdom that had "a strong mountain for its rampart" in Malay peninsula, that fell to the Chola invaders during Rajendra Chola I's campaign in 11th century.
• Bhūmi Mālayu - (literally "Land of Malayu"), a translation from Padang Roco Inscription dated 1286 CE by Slamet Muljana. The term is associated with Dharmasraya kingdom.
• Ma-li-yu-er - mentioned in the chronicle of Yuan Dynasty, referring to a nation of Malay peninsula that faced the southward expansion of Sukhothai Kingdom, during the reign of Ram Khamhaeng. The chronicle stated: "..Animosity occurred between Siam and Ma-li-yu-er with both killing each other...". In response to the Sukhothai's action, a Chinese envoy arrived at the Ram Khamhaeng's court in 1295 bearing an imperial order: "Keep your promise and do no evil to Ma-li-yu-er".
• Malauir - mentioned in Marco Polo's account as a kingdom located in the Malay peninsula, possibly similar to the one mentioned in Yuan chronicle.
• Malayapura - (literally "city of Malaya" or "kingdom of Malaya"), inscribed on the Amoghapasa inscription dated 1347 CE. The term was used by Adityawarman to refer to Dharmasraya.
• Sungai Melayu - (literally "Melayu river"), mentioned in the Malay annals in referring to a river in Sumatra: "...Here now is the story of a city called Palembang in the land of Andelas. It was ruled by Demang Lebar Daun, a descendant of Raja Shulan, and its river was the Muara Tatang. In the upper reaches of the Muara Tatang was a river called Melayu, and on that river was a hill called Si-Guntang Mahameru...".

Other logical explanations of the name origin has been verified in other languages, such as the Tamil word malaiyur, used to refer the mountainous region where the civilization of Kadaram was founded in Kedah (today), or the Javanese word mlayu (to run) derived from mlaku (to walk or to travel), or the Malay term melaju (to steadily accelerate), to refer the high mobility and migratory nature of its people, however these suggestions remain as popular local beliefs without corroborating evidence. During the European colonization of the area, the word "Malay" was adopted into English via the Dutch word "Malayo", itself derived from the Portuguese "Malaio", which originates from the Malay word "Melayu".