Where does “déjà vu” come from?

déjà vu (English) comes from French déjà-vu, from French VU, from Vietnamese vụ, from Chinese 務, from Sino-Tibetan *mow.

déjà vu (English): The subjective, unexpected feeling of having...

Definitions

  1. The subjective, unexpected feeling of having...

Ancestry of “déjà vu”, step by step

déjà vu traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via French déjà-vu

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchdéjà-vudéjà vu
2FrenchVUgiven based on
3Vietnamesevụseason; case, affair; specialized department...
4Chinese務—
5Sino-Tibetan*mow—

via French déjà vu

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchdéjà vuAlternative form of déjà-vu

Words derived from “déjà vu”

Every word from Sino-Tibetan *mow →Every word from Chinese 務 →Every word from Vietnamese vụ →