Where does “hikayat” come from?

hikayat (Indonesian) comes from Malay hikayat, from Classical Persian حکایت, from Arabic حِكَايَة — story, tale.

hikayat (Indonesian): old Malay literary works in prose form

Definitions

  1. old Malay literary works in prose form

Ancestry of “hikayat”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malayhikayatsaga a long, ancient tale (or series of tales) written in prose
2Classical Persianحکایت—
3Arabicحِكَايَةstory, tale
Every word from Arabic حِكَايَة →Every word from Classical Persian حکایت →Every word from Malay hikayat →