Where does “Proto-Malay” come from?

Proto-Malay (English) comes from English proto, from English proto-, from Ancient Greek πρωτο-, from Ancient Greek πρῶτος, from Ancient Greek πρό, from Proto-Indo-European pró, from Proto-Indo-European per-, from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós — passed , crossed.

Proto-Malay (English): An Austronesian speaker who moved from mainland Asia to the Malay peninsula and Malay archipelago in a long series of migrations between 2500 and 1500 BC, before that of the Deutero-Malays about a thousand years later

Definitions

  1. An Austronesian speaker who moved from mainland Asia to the Malay peninsula and Malay archipelago in a long series of migrations between 2500 and 1500 BC, before that of the Deutero-Malays about a thousand years later

Ancestry of “Proto-Malay”, step by step

Proto-Malay traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English proto

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishprotoPrototypical; preceding the proper beginning of...
2Englishproto-first; most recent common ancestor of; Relating...
3Ancient Greekπρωτο-first, primary
4Ancient Greekπρῶτοςfirst; earliest; foremost, most prominent
5Ancient Greekπρόbefore; before, in front, forth, forward; before,...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanprótoward, leading to
7Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

via English Malay

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishMalayOf or relating to the Malays, a people living in...
2MalayMelayuMalay
3MalayMalayu
4Old Javaneselayūto run
5Proto-Sunda-Sulawesilariw
6Proto-Malayo-Polynesianlaʀiw
7Proto-Austronesianlaʀiw
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tósEvery word from Proto-Indo-European per-Every word from Proto-Indo-European pró