malaios

Malaios is a term used in Greek-language sources to denote a Malay person or related ethnographic reference. In Modern Greek, it functions as the masculine singular form of the ethnonym associated with the Malay people of Maritime Southeast Asia, distinct from English-language usage of “Malay” in ordinary texts. The transliterated form “Malaios” may appear in academic or historical works that quote Greek texts or discuss Greek ethnography.

Geographically, Malays are an ethnolinguistic group primarily associated with the Malay Peninsula, the coastlines of Sumatra, the ports of Borneo, and surrounding areas. Malay communities have played important historical roles in regional commerce, maritime networks, and political formations such as the old Malay sultanates. In Greek sources, references to Malays typically occur within ethnographic, historical, or travel-writing contexts, rather than as a commonly used term in contemporary English-language discourse.

In linguistic and cultural discussions, the distinction between Malaios as a Greek ethnonym and Malay as an English ethnonym is notable. The Greek term reflects how languages adapt ethnonyms from other regions, and its usage is largely confined to Greek texts or translations thereof. Outside of Greek-language scholarship, the word Malaios is not standard in English-language ethnography or anthropology.

See also: Malay people, Malay language, Malays, Malay Peninsula, Malayo-Polynesian languages.