Where does “walay” come from?

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

walay (Cebuano): less, un-, lacking

Definitions

  1. less, un-, lacking

Ancestry of “walay”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Cebuanowalaindicates the nonexistence or absence of something; there is none, no one, nothing
2Austronesian*wada—
3Proto-Malayo-Polynesianwadato be

Words derived from “walay”

Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian wada →Every word from Austronesian *wada →Every word from Cebuano wala →
walay — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer