Elite Adal Knights: Malassay = The Sea

[Three Moons]

The elite knights of Adal that were commanded by Imam Ahmed himself were known as the Malassay (or Malachai in Portuguese), and according to one passage the word meant ‘The Sea’;

“The last division was made up of men of strength and valour who were nicknamed 'The Sea’, because of the number of their swords. Their commander was the imam Ahmad himself.” (Futuh - P.125)

I used to think its root word had something to do with the war office of a ‘Malaakh’ but after seeing that it meant ‘The Sea’, I’m now leaning more towards a plural form of the Somali word ‘Malaay’ i.e ‘Malaayga’. It could be sweet suugo science but the fact that the Arabic word for Sea is nothing like the word Malassay and that a score of swords would resemble a school of fish, Malassay / Malachai = Malaayga makes sense.

Add your own ingredients to this suugo; @Shimbiris @The alchemist @Garaad diinle

By @Hussain Al Gaturi

 

[daljirkadahsoon]

The elite knights of Adal that were commanded by Imam Ahmed himself were known as the Malassay (or Malachai in Portuguese), and according to one passage the word meant ‘The Sea’;

“The last division was made up of men of strength and valour who were nicknamed 'The Sea’, because of the number of their swords. Their commander was the imam Ahmad himself.” (Futuh - P.125)

I used to think its root word had something to do with the war office of a ‘Malaakh’ but after seeing that it meant ‘The Sea’, I’m now leaning more towards a plural form of the Somali word ‘Malaay’ i.e ‘Malaayga’. It could be sweet suugo science but the fact that the Arabic word for Sea is nothing like the word Malassay and that a score of swords would resemble a school of fish, Malassay / Malachai = Malaayga makes sense.

Add your own ingredients to this suugo; @Shimbiris @The alchemist @Garaad diinle

View attachment 326079
By @Hussain Al Gaturi

Do you have the passage to hand this is fascinating

 

[oogabooga]

Bro Arab Faqih literally explained why they were nicknamed “The Sea.” It’s because there was a bunch of them. Malasay literally means “mala” + “sai.” Mala means to “find a solution.” Sai means “plenty, prosperity, abundance.” Malasay means “to find a solution for prosperity.” It’s funny cause Prosperity Party’s name in Harar is called Sai Party.

And you were calling me crazy with the etymologies. I’m down to help y’all discover Somali etymologies too cause some words in Geysinan are Somali loanwords. Like I was gonna say Absame comes from the word Absuma, but that’s a Somali loanword in the Harari language. The only thing we have close to that is Absum which means circumcision.

 

[Midas]

The elite knights of Adal that were commanded by Imam Ahmed himself were known as the Malassay (or Malachai in Portuguese), and according to one passage the word meant ‘The Sea’;

“The last division was made up of men of strength and valour who were nicknamed 'The Sea’, because of the number of their swords. Their commander was the imam Ahmad himself.” (Futuh - P.125)

I used to think its root word had something to do with the war office of a ‘Malaakh’ but after seeing that it meant ‘The Sea’, I’m now leaning more towards a plural form of the Somali word ‘Malaay’ i.e ‘Malaayga’. It could be sweet suugo science but the fact that the Arabic word for Sea is nothing like the word Malassay and that a score of swords would resemble a school of fish, Malassay / Malachai = Malaayga makes sense.

Add your own ingredients to this suugo; @Shimbiris @The alchemist @Garaad diinle

View attachment 326079
By @Hussain Al Gaturi

Do you think it has anything to do with sannag. Since one of the old names of sanaag is maakhir .

 

[Three Moons]

Bro Arab Faqih literally explained why they were nicknamed “The Sea.” It’s because there was a bunch of them. Malasay literally means “mala” + “sai.” Mala means to “find a solution.” Sai means “plenty, prosperity, abundance.” Malasay means “to find a solution for prosperity.” It’s funny cause Prosperity Party’s name in Harar is called Sai Party.

And you were calling me crazy with the etymologies. I’m down to help y’all discover Somali etymologies too cause some words in Geysinan are Somali loanwords. Like I was gonna say Absame comes from the word Absuma, but that’s a Somali loanword in the Harari language. The only thing we have close to that is Absum which means circumcision.
View attachment 326081

You brought your own pan of suugo science The Harari etymology would have merit if it had a maritime character to it, not solve a Gordian Knot.

 

[Three Moons]

Do you have the passage to hand this is fascinating

“The last division was made up of men of strength and valour who were nicknamed 'The Sea’, because of the number of their swords. Their commander was the imam Ahmad himself.” (Futuh - P.125)

 

[oogabooga]

You brought your own pan of suugo science The Harari etymology would have merit if it had a maritime character to it, not solve a Gordian Knot.

You know when hararis say they want to kill someone discreetly, they say “find a solution to him?” I could see people calling my work suugo science if I were twisting the word pronounciations all around but if it comes to that, i just keep my mouth shut

 

[Laser]

could see people calling my work suugo science if I were twisting the word pronounciations all around but if it comes to that, i just keep my mouth shut

 

[oogabooga]

View attachment 326100

 

[Emir of Zayla]

I could see people calling my work suugo science if I were twisting the word pronounciations all around but if it comes to that, i just keep my mouth shut

 

[oogabooga]

View attachment 326101

You guys shoulda let me know if I was pronouncing it wrong