Where does “ayah” come from?
Ayah comes from Arabic āyah, borrowed into Latin as avia, derived from Latin avus meaning grandfather or ancestor.
ayah (English): A South Asian female servant, maid or nanny,...
Definitions
- A South Asian female servant, maid or nanny,...
Ancestry of “ayah”, step by step
ayah traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Hindi आया
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hindi | आया | ayah: nurse maid, nurse |
| 2 | Portuguese | aia | lady-in-waiting; tutor, teacher; chambermaid |
| 3 | Latin | avia | grandmother; groundsel; singular feminine... |
| 4 | Latin | avus | grandfather; an ancestor, a progenitor, a... |
| 5 | Proto-Celtic | abū | river |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ep- | water, body of water |
via Arabic آيَة
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arabic | آيَة | sign, token |