Where does “Malaia” come from?

Malaia (Catalan) comes from English Malaya, from English Malay, from Malay Melayu, from Malay Malayu, from Old Javanese layū, from Proto-Sunda-Sulawesi lariw, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian laʀiw, from Proto-Austronesian laʀiw.

Ancestry of “Malaia”, step by step

Malaia traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Malaya

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishMalaya—
2EnglishMalayOf or relating to the Malays, a people living in...
3MalayMelayuMalay
4MalayMalayu—
5Old Javaneselayūto run
6Proto-Sunda-Sulawesilariw—
7Proto-Malayo-Polynesianlaʀiw—
8Proto-Austronesianlaʀiw—

via Romanian mâl

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1RomanianmâlA type of granular sediment found near water or...
2Proto-Albanianmālāapple
Every word from Proto-Austronesian laʀiw →Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian laʀiw →Every word from Proto-Sunda-Sulawesi lariw →