ENGLISH
REFERENCE

malaysia

n. countable
A1 Beginner US //məˈɫeɪʒə// malaysia Archaic

n. a country in Southeast Asia. It is known for its mix of Malay, Chinese, and Indian cultures and its capital city, Kuala Lumpur.

n. a sovereign state in Southeast Asia consisting of thirteen states and three federal territories. It is geographically divided into two regions, Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia, by the South China Sea.


SIMPLE

I am planning a trip to Malaysia next summer.

CONTEXTUAL

Many international companies choose to open offices in Malaysia because of its central location in Southeast Asia.

COMPLEX

The constitutional monarchy of Malaysia is unique for its rotational system, where the nine Malay rulers take turns serving as the national head of state every five years.

Synonyms
Origin

Etymology tree Malay Melayuder. English Malay Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -iader. English -ia English Malaysia Affixation of Malay + -sia (alternative form of -ia), coined by British geographers in the 19th century as one of several terms used to refer to the Malay Archipelago, can be translated as "land of the Malays". A popular folk etymology holds that the country name was formed by adding ⟨-si-⟩ to Malaya, short for the former Federation of Malaya, to honour the inclusion of Singapore, Sarawak and North Borneo (Sabah) when the country was formed.

Usage

As a proper noun, it is always capitalized and typically used without an article.

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