meleis

From a humorous misspelling of English Malays, itself from Melayu. It was also based on English malaise, meaning "illness" or "problem".

• (Malaysia) IPA^(key): /mə.leis/

meleis (plural meleis-meleis, informal 1st possessive meleisku, 2nd possessive meleismu, 3rd possessive meleisnya)

1. (derogatory, humorous, Internet slang, ethnic slur, offensive) Malay people who behave with a backwards attitude, especially with conservative, racist, or extremely religious views.

Although the word itself is offensive towards Malay people in general, Malay netizens also use this term, to mock members of their own people with stereotypically-racist views or backwards attitudes. The word is also offensive as it implies that all Malay people are supposedly backwards.

• cainis (rare, slang, derogatory term for Chinese people who behave in a very arrogant manner)

• “meleis” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

meleis

1. second-person plural present subjunctive of melar