Where does “峇仔” come from?

峇仔 (Chinese) comes from Malay buaya, from Proto-Malayic buhaya, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian buqaya, from Proto-Austronesian buqaya — crocodile.

峇仔 (Chinese): crocodile

Definitions

  1. crocodile

Ancestry of “峇仔”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malaybuayacrocodile; playboy, womanizer
2Proto-Malayicbuhayacrocodile
3Proto-Malayo-Polynesianbuqayacrocodile
4Proto-Austronesianbuqayacrocodile
Every word from Proto-Austronesian buqaya →Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian buqaya →Every word from Proto-Malayic buhaya →