Where does “ʻau” come from?

ʻau (Hawaiian) comes from Proto-Polynesian kau, from Proto-Oceanic kayu, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian kayu, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian kayu, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian kahiw, from Proto-Austronesian kaSiw — wood; tree.

ʻau (Hawaiian): handle, stem, stalk; long bone of arm or leg; a...

Definitions

  1. handle, stem, stalk; long bone of arm or leg; a...

Ancestry of “ʻau”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Polynesiankauwood; tree
2Proto-Oceanickayuwood; tree
3Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesiankayu—
4Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesiankayu—
5Proto-Malayo-Polynesiankahiwwood; tree
6Proto-AustronesiankaSiwwood; tree

Words derived from “ʻau”

Every word from Proto-Austronesian kaSiw →Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian kahiw →Every word from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian kayu →