Where does “kaki langit” come from?

kaki langit (Indonesian) comes from Indonesian kaki, from Malay kaki, from Proto-Malayic kaki, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian qaqay, from Proto-Austronesian qaqay — leg, foot.

kaki langit (Indonesian): horizon, skysill, skyline: the visible horizontal line (in all directions) where the sky appears to meet the earth in the distance

Definitions

  1. horizon, skysill, skyline: the visible horizontal line (in all directions) where the sky appears to meet the earth in the distance

Ancestry of “kaki langit”, step by step

kaki langit traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Indonesian kaki

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Indonesiankakifoot
2Malaykakifoot part of body, leg
3Proto-Malayickakileg; foot
4Proto-Malayo-Polynesianqaqayleg, foot
5Proto-Austronesianqaqayleg, foot

via Indonesian langit

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Indonesianlangitsky
2Malaylangitsky
3Proto-Malayiclaŋitsky
4Proto-Malayo-Polynesianlaŋitsky
5Proto-AustronesianlaŋiCsky

via Malay kaki langit

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malaykaki langitThe horizon
Every word from Proto-Austronesian qaqay