Where does “Vanuatu” come from?

Vanuatu (Bislama) comes from Undetermined vanua, from Proto-Oceanic panua, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *banua, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *banua, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian banua, from Proto-Austronesian banua — inhabited land.

Ancestry of “Vanuatu”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Undeterminedvanualand
2Proto-Oceanicpanuainhabited area or territory
3Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian*banua—
4Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian*banua—
5Proto-Malayo-Polynesianbanuainhabited land
6Proto-Austronesianbanuainhabited land

Words derived from “Vanuatu”

Every word from Proto-Austronesian banua →Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian banua →Every word from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *banua →