Where does “cat kuku” come from?

cat kuku (Indonesian) comes from Indonesian kuku, from Malay kuku, from Proto-Malayic kuku, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian kukuh, from Proto-Austronesian kuSkuS — nail.

cat kuku (Indonesian): nail polish

Definitions

  1. nail polish

Ancestry of “cat kuku”, step by step

cat kuku traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Indonesian kuku

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Indonesiankukunail
2Malaykukunail
3Proto-Malayickukunail
4Proto-Malayo-Polynesiankukuhnail
5Proto-AustronesiankuSkuSnail

via Indonesian cat

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Indonesiancatpaint
2Malaycatpaint
3Min Nan漆—
Every word from Proto-Austronesian kuSkuS →
cat kuku — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer