Where does “belei” come from?
belei (Central Melanau) comes from Proto-North Sarawak bəli, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian bəli, from Proto-Austronesian bəli — to buy.
belei (Central Melanau): to buy
Ancestry of “belei”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-North Sarawak | bəli | — |
| 2 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | bəli | to buy |
| 3 | Proto-Austronesian | bəli | to buy |