Malagasy
noun
Mal·a·gasy
ˌma-lə-ˈga-sē 
ˌmä-lə-ˈgä-sē
ˌmä-lə-ˈgä-sē
-shē
plural Malagasy also Malagasies
1
: a member of a people of Indonesian and African origin who inhabit Madagascar
2
: the Austronesian language of the Malagasy people
Malagasy
adjective
Examples of Malagasy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Their story illustrates the Malagasy principle of valim-babena—the duty of grown children to help their parents.
—
Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024
Not so passive are the Malagasy, restlessly reaching for their imminent independence, and backgrounded in the film until Miangaly seizes narrative focus in a denouement that centers her people’s revolution.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024
Sadly, to counteract the unlucky event of seeing one, the Malagasy will often kill the offending creature, a tradition which has contributed to its endangered status.
—Discover Magazine, 8 Jan. 2024
The feat didn’t come easy — or quickly — for the Malagasy filmmaker, who graduated from Marrakech’s ESAV film school in 2011 and then spent more than a decade crafting award-winning shorts while developing his first feature.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 3 Dec. 2023
Tribal Beauty This hairstyle is native to the Malagasy people, a tribe that originated from Madagascar.
—ELLE, 21 July 2023
Back in 2009, a massive categorization of amphibians in the island revealed that the 244 Malagasy frog species known to science were probably just half of the total diversity that could be found.
—Sofia Quaglia, Discover Magazine, 26 Dec. 2022
The late primatologist Alison Jolly once noted that Malagasy legend describes lemurs as worshiping the sun, holding their arms out in prayer.
—Nathaniel J. Dominy, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2021
When these Malagasy traditions collided with pirate egalitarianism, shared through conversation and commercial exchange, the confederation was born.
—Ian Beacock, The New Republic, 11 Apr. 2023
Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024
Not so passive are the Malagasy, restlessly reaching for their imminent independence, and backgrounded in the film until Miangaly seizes narrative focus in a denouement that centers her people’s revolution.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024
Sadly, to counteract the unlucky event of seeing one, the Malagasy will often kill the offending creature, a tradition which has contributed to its endangered status.
—Discover Magazine, 8 Jan. 2024
The feat didn’t come easy — or quickly — for the Malagasy filmmaker, who graduated from Marrakech’s ESAV film school in 2011 and then spent more than a decade crafting award-winning shorts while developing his first feature.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 3 Dec. 2023
Tribal Beauty This hairstyle is native to the Malagasy people, a tribe that originated from Madagascar.
—ELLE, 21 July 2023
Back in 2009, a massive categorization of amphibians in the island revealed that the 244 Malagasy frog species known to science were probably just half of the total diversity that could be found.
—Sofia Quaglia, Discover Magazine, 26 Dec. 2022
The late primatologist Alison Jolly once noted that Malagasy legend describes lemurs as worshiping the sun, holding their arms out in prayer.
—Nathaniel J. Dominy, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2021
When these Malagasy traditions collided with pirate egalitarianism, shared through conversation and commercial exchange, the confederation was born.
—Ian Beacock, The New Republic, 11 Apr. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Malagasy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near Malagasy
Cite this Entry
“Malagasy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Malagasy. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Malagasy
noun
Mal·a·gasy
ˌmal-ə-ˈgas-ē
plural Malagasy also Malagasies
1
: a person born or living in Madagascar
2
: the language of the Malagasy people
Malagasy
adjective
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