Where does “matai” come from?
matai (Chamorro) comes from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian matay, from Proto-Austronesian maCay — die, dead.
matai (Chamorro): dead; die
Ancestry of “matai”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | matay | die, dead |
| 2 | Proto-Austronesian | maCay | die, dead |