Where does “masa” come from?

Masa comes from Spanish masa, derived from Latin massa, from Ancient Greek μᾶζα, itself from the verb μάσσω meaning to knead or compress, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European meh₂ǵ-.

masa (English): A strong form of paper, smooth on one side and...

Definitions

  1. A strong form of paper, smooth on one side and...

Ancestry of “masa”, step by step

masa traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Spanish masa

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Spanishmasadough; mass; drove
2Latinmassamass, bulk; load, burden; dough
3Ancient Greekμᾶζαbarley-bread or cake
4Ancient Greekμάσσωto handle, work with my hands, knead; to wipe
5Proto-Indo-Europeanmh₂ǵyéti
6Proto-Indo-Europeanmeh₂ǵ-to knead, stroke

via Japanese まさ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japaneseまさ
Every word from Proto-Indo-European meh₂ǵ-
masa — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer