Silat Melayu is a blanket term for the types of silat created in peninsular Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei and Singapore.The silat tradition has deep roots in Malay culture and can trace its origin to the dawn of Malay civilization, 2000 years ago.
Since the classical age, silat Melayu underwent great diversification and formed what is today traditionally recognized as the source of Indonesian pencak silat.
Nowadays, the term silat Melayu is most often used to differentiate the Malay styles from Indonesian pencak silat.
The etymological root of the word silat is uncertain and most hypotheses link it to any similar-sounding word. It may come from Si Elat which means someone who confuses, deceives or bluffs. A similar term, ilat, means an accident, misfortune or a calamity.
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