Where does “wai” come from?

wai ('Are'are) comes from Proto-Oceanic waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian wahiʀ — water.

wai ('Are'are): fresh water

Definitions

  1. fresh water

Ancestry of “wai”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Oceanicwaiʀwater
2Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesianwaiʀwater
3Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesianwaiʀwater
4Proto-Malayo-Polynesianwahiʀwater
Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian wahiʀ →Every word from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian waiʀ →Every word from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian waiʀ →