The Malay world or Malay realm (Malay: Dunia Melayu or Alam Melayu,  Jawi: دونيا ملايو or عالم ملايو) is a concept or an expression, that has been utilised by different authors and groups over time, to denote several different notions, that derived from varied interpretations of Malayness, either as a racial category, as a linguistic group, or as a political-cultural group. The use of the term 'Malay' in much of the conceptualisation, is largely based on the prevalent Malay cultural influence, manifested in particular, through the spread of Malay language in Southeast Asia as observed by different colonial powers during the Age of Discovery.