# Malagasy

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˌmæləˈɡæsi/ · frequency rank #46,041

## Definitions
1. A person from Madagascar or of Malagasy descent.

## Etymology
From Malagasy malagasy, connected to Mālāī-Jezīra, “island of Mālāī”. Compare English Madagascar, which by folk etymology comes from Marco Polo's misreading of Mogadishu whereas it should be Arabic جَزِيرَة المَالَائِيّ (jazīrat al-mālāʔiyy, “the Island of Mālāī”).

## Easily confused with
- **Malaga** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/malaga-vs-malagasy)

## Common misspellings (12)
`amlagasy`, `maalgasy`, `malaagsy`, `malagassy`, `malagasyy`, `malagays`, `malaggasy`, `malagsay`, `malgaasy`, `mallagasy`, `mlaagasy`, `mmalagasy`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/malagasy