Of or relating to or characteristic of the people or language of Malaysia and the northern Malay Peninsula and parts of the western Malay Archipelago; Also called: Malayan.

1. A member of a people inhabiting the northern Malay Peninsula and Malaysia and parts of the western Malay Archipelago; Also called: Malayan.
2. A western subfamily of Western Malayo-Polynesian languages.
A member of a large group of peoples comprising the majority population of the Malay Peninsula and Archipelago, also found in S Thailand and coastal Sumatra and Borneo. Their language belongs to the western branch of the Austronesian family.