mirah (Malay)

Where does "mirah" come from?

The Malay word 'mirah' is an obsolete variant of 'merah,' both stemming from the Proto-Malayic root *(mA-)irah. This term traces its deep origins back to the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian word *(ma-)iʀaq, which simply described the color red. Over time, the spelling evolved into the modern standard while retaining its foundational meaning.

Full etymology tree

• mirah (Malay), 'obsolete form of merah'
  • inherited *(mA-)irah (Proto-Malayic)
    • inherited *(ma-)iʀaq (Proto-Malayo-Polynesian), 'red (having red as its colour)'

Ancestors

• *(ma-)iʀaq (Proto-Malayo-Polynesian)

Updated June 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris