Where does “buaya” come from?

buaya (Bikol Central) comes from Proto-Philippine *buqaya, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian buqaya, from Proto-Austronesian buqaya — crocodile.

Ancestry of “buaya”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Philippine*buqayacrocodile
2Proto-Malayo-Polynesianbuqayacrocodile
3Proto-Austronesianbuqayacrocodile
Every word from Proto-Austronesian buqaya →Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian buqaya →Every word from Proto-Philippine *buqaya →