The word Bugis
Russell Jones poses a query to JMBRAS members regarding the origin of the final “-s” in the Malay form “Bugis,” prompted by an inquiry from the Oxford English Dictionary.
Summary
Jones notes that the Bugis refer to themselves in their own language as Wugi or Ugi, and that the English form “Bugis” is presumably taken from the Malay. He asks whether anyone can explain how the Malay form acquired its final “-s.” An editor’s note observes that while a plural explanation is plausible, the name appears in 19th-century British documents as “Bugesse,” which argues against that account (p. 139).