Where does “bao” come from?

Bao comes from Mandarin 包, a character whose original meaning remains uncertain in available etymological sources.

bao (English): Any of various types of steamed bread or bun used...

Definitions

  1. Any of various types of steamed bread or bun used...

Ancestry of “bao”, step by step

bao traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Swahili bao

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swahilibaoboard; goal; board game

via Chinese Mandarin

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Chinese Mandarin
Every word from Swahili bao