Malayalam

noun

Mal·​a·​ya·​lam ˌma-lə-ˈyä-ləm How to pronounce Malayalam (audio)
ˌmä-
: the Dravidian language of Kerala, southwest India, closely related to Tamil

Examples of Malayalam in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
The Bhool Bhulaiyaa franchise started with the classic 1993 Malayalam film Manichitrathazhu, which was remade in Hindi in 2007. Anupama Chopra, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Nov. 2024 The film embraces India’s linguistic diversity, featuring dialogue in Malayalam, Hindi, and Marathi, along with documentary voices in Bhojpuri, Gujarati and Tamil. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 29 Oct. 2024 The projects represent a linguistic mosaic, including Hindi, English, Assamese, Tamil, Marwari, Bengali, Malayalam, Punjabi, Nepali, Marathi, Pahadi, and Cantonese, demonstrating the market’s growing international appeal. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 22 Oct. 2024 These networks and offerings are in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and other languages. Rudie Obias, Variety, 3 Oct. 2024 The report, commissioned by the Kerala state government in response to a 2017 actress assault case, documents challenges faced by women in Malayalam cinema. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Sep. 2024 Set in a village in Kerala, the film follows a tailor with dreams of emigrating to the U.S. and a social outcast who simultaneously get superpowers when struck by lightning (minnal means lightning in Malayalam) with the former using them for good and the latter for evil. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Apr. 2024 The film was first made in 2013 in the Malayalam language, starring Mohanlal and Meena, before being remade in Hindi with Ajay Devgn and Tabu in the lead roles in 2015. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024 Fatehi made her name across India performing what are known as item songs — special musical numbers inserted into a movie — in numerous Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam films. Marc Schneider, Billboard, 26 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Malayalam was in 1814

Dictionary Entries Near Malayalam

Cite this Entry

“Malayalam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Malayalam. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!