Where does “父母” come from?

父母 (Chinese) comes from Chinese 父, from Komodo paʔ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian əpat, from Proto-Austronesian Səpat — four.

父母 (Chinese): parents; mother and father; mum and dad; Short...

Definitions

  1. parents; mother and father; mum and dad; Short...

Ancestry of “父母”, step by step

父母 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Chinese

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Chinese
2Komodopaʔfour
3Proto-Malayo-Polynesianəpatfour
4Proto-AustronesianSəpatfour

via Chinese

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Chinese
2Proto-Sino-Tibetan*məʔmother
Every word from Proto-Austronesian SəpatEvery word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian əpatEvery word from Komodo paʔ
父母 — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer