structural:scholar_edition, information:extraction
Etymology

The name “Malacca” is traditionally associated with the Malacca tree (Phyllanthus emblica), also known as the Indian gooseberry tree, and is believed to derive from the local Malay word 'Melaka'. According to historical traditions, Parameswara, a Sumatran prince and the founder of the Malacca Sultanate, selected the site for his new kingdom where the city of Malacca now stands. It is said that he named the location "Melaka" after the Malacca tree under which he had rested. Over time, the name "Malacca" came to refer not only to the city but also to the strategically significant waterway between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra, known as the Malacca Strait.