Where does “kutou” come from?
kutou (Central Melanau) comes from Proto-North Sarawak kutu, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian kutu, from Proto-Austronesian *kuCux.
kutou (Central Melanau): louse
Ancestry of “kutou”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-North Sarawak | kutu | — |
| 2 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | kutu | louse |
| 3 | Proto-Austronesian | *kuCux | — |