Where does “Vanuatu” come from?
Vanuatu (Faroese) comes from Bislama Vanuatu, from Undetermined vanua, from Proto-Oceanic panua, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *banua, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *banua, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian banua, from Proto-Austronesian banua — inhabited land.
Ancestry of “Vanuatu”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Bislama | Vanuatu | — |
| 2 | Undetermined | vanua | land |
| 3 | Proto-Oceanic | panua | — |
| 4 | Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian | *banua | — |
| 5 | Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian | *banua | — |
| 6 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | banua | inhabited land |
| 7 | Proto-Austronesian | banua | inhabited land |