Where does “pau” come from?
pau (Galician) comes from Old Portuguese pao, from Latin palus, from Proto-Italic pākslos, from Proto-Indo-European peh₂ǵ-slos, from Proto-Indo-European peh₂ǵ- — to attach.
pau (Galician): stick; wood; blow
Ancestry of “pau”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Portuguese | pao | stick, stake |
| 2 | Latin | palus | swamp, marsh, morass, bog, fen, pool; stake,... |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | pākslos | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₂ǵ-slos | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₂ǵ- | to attach |