This is a partial list of loanwords in English language, that were borrowed or derived, either directly or indirectly, from Malay language. Many of the words are decisively Malay or shared with other Malayic languages group, while others obviously entered Malay both from related Austronesian languages and unrelated languages of India and China. Some may also not directly derived from Malay into English, but through other languages, in particular, that of European powers that have exercised significant influence in the Maritime Southeast Asia.[1]
The adoption of various Malay terms began with contact between European powers and classical sultanates in Nusantara in the 16th century and accelerated in the 19th century with the advent of British colonisation in the region. Many of the earliest borrowing can be found in the accounts of early voyages during the Age of Discovery, when traders and travellers brought back products and objects of natural history from Maritime Southeast Asia which became known by their native names. Over the time, with the flowering of English literature dealing with subjects native to the region, other words used to denote things and notions of Malay world and culture, have also made their way into English.[2]