Where does “字母” come from?

字母 (Chinese) comes from Sanskrit मातृका, from Sanskrit मातृ, from Proto-Indo-Aryan máHtā, from Proto-Indo-Iranian máHtā, from Proto-Indo-European méh₂tēr — mother.

字母 (Chinese): letter; alphabet

Definitions

  1. letter; alphabet

Ancestry of “字母”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Sanskritमातृकाmother
2Sanskritमातृmother
3Proto-Indo-AryanmáHtā—
4Proto-Indo-IranianmáHtāmother
5Proto-Indo-Europeanméh₂tērmother

Words derived from “字母”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European méh₂tēr →