Where does “wala” come from?

wala (Cebuano) comes from Austronesian *wada, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian wada — to be.

wala (Cebuano): indicates the nonexistence or absence of something; there is none, no one, nothing

Definitions

  1. indicates the nonexistence or absence of something; there is none, no one, nothing

Ancestry of “wala”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Austronesian*wada—
2Proto-Malayo-Polynesianwadato be

Words derived from “wala”

Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian wada →Every word from Austronesian *wada →