Where does “zilalamadzi” come from?

zilalamadzi (Chichewa) comes from Chichewa madzi, from Proto-Bantu màjíjɪ̀ — water.

Ancestry of “zilalamadzi”, step by step

zilalamadzi traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Chichewa madzi

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Chichewamadziwater
2Proto-Bantumàjíjɪ̀water

via Chichewa zilala

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Chichewazilala
Every word from Proto-Bantu màjíjɪ̀Every word from Chichewa madzi