Where does “Semu” come from?
Semu (English) comes from Proto-Mon-Khmer sməʔ, from Pali samā, from Sanskrit सम, from Proto-Indo-Iranian samHás, from Proto-Indo-European somHós, from Proto-Indo-European sem- — together, one.
Ancestry of “Semu”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-Mon-Khmer | sməʔ | — |
| 2 | Pali | samā | year; masculine/neuter ablative singular of sama;... |
| 3 | Sanskrit | सम | same, equal, alike; equivalent to, like,... |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | samHás | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | somHós | same, alike |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sem- | together, one |