Where does “abu-abu” come from?

abu-abu (Indonesian) comes from Malay abu-abu, from Malay abu, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *habu.

abu-abu (Indonesian): grey

Definitions

  1. grey

Ancestry of “abu-abu”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malayabu-abugrey
2Malayabuash
3Proto-Malayo-Polynesian*habu—
Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *habu →Every word from Malay abu →Every word from Malay abu-abu →