Where does “má-tâ” come from?

má-tâ (Chinese) comes from Malay mata-mata, from Malay mata, from Proto-Malayic mata, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian mata, from Proto-Austronesian mata, from Proto-Austronesian maCa — eye organ.

má-tâ (Chinese): police

Definitions

  1. police

Ancestry of “má-tâ”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malaymata-mataplural of mata; policeman; spy
2Malaymataeye; edge; hole
3Proto-Malayicmataeye
4Proto-Malayo-Polynesianmataeye
5Proto-Austronesianmataeye
6Proto-AustronesianmaCaeye organ
Every word from Proto-Austronesian maCa →Every word from Proto-Austronesian mata →Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian mata →