Where does “mau-mau” come from?

mau-mau (English) comes from Indonesian mau, from Malay mahu, from Proto-Polynesian *mafu — stale of food.

mau-mau (English): To menace through intimidating tactics; to...

Definitions

  1. To menace through intimidating tactics; to...

Ancestry of “mau-mau”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Indonesianmauto want, to desire
2Malaymahuto want, to desire; will
3Proto-Polynesian*mafustale of food

Words derived from “mau-mau”

Every word from Proto-Polynesian *mafu →Every word from Malay mahu →Every word from Indonesian mau →
mau-mau — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer