Where does “thee” come from?
thee (Dutch) comes from Malay teh, from Malay putih, from Classical Malay putih, from Proto-Malayic putih, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian (ma-)putiq — white.
thee (Dutch): tea
Definitions
- tea
Ancestry of “thee”, step by step
thee traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Malay teh
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malay | teh | tea |
| 2 | Malay | putih | white |
| 3 | Classical Malay | putih | white |
| 4 | Proto-Malayic | putih | white |
| 5 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | (ma-)putiq | white |
via Middle Chinese 茶
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle Chinese | 茶 | — |
| 2 | Chinese | 茶 | tea |
| 3 | Proto-Loloish | la¹ | tea |
| 4 | Proto-Sino-Tibetan | s-la | leaf; tea; flat object |
via Min Nan 茶
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Min Nan | 茶 | tea |