Where does “tao” come from?

tao (Bikol Central) comes from Proto-Philippine tau, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian tau, from Proto-Austronesian Cau — person, human being.

Ancestry of “tao”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Philippinetau—
2Proto-Malayo-Polynesiantauperson, human
3Proto-AustronesianCauperson, human being
Every word from Proto-Austronesian Cau →Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian tau →Every word from Proto-Philippine tau →