Where does “kupu-kupu gajah” come from?

kupu-kupu gajah (Indonesian) comes from Indonesian gajah, from Malay gajah, from Classical Malay gajah, from Sanskrit गज, from Sanskrit गज् — to sound, to roar.

kupu-kupu gajah (Indonesian): Atlas moth; a large moth, Attacus atlas, from the tropical forests of southeast Asia

Definitions

  1. Atlas moth; a large moth, Attacus atlas, from the tropical forests of southeast Asia

Ancestry of “kupu-kupu gajah”, step by step

kupu-kupu gajah traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Indonesian gajah

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Indonesiangajahelephant; bishop; big-sized objects
2Malaygajahelephant; bishop
3Classical Malaygajahelephant; bishop; big-sized objects
4Sanskritगजelephant
5Sanskritगज्to sound, to roar

via Indonesian kupu-kupu

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Indonesiankupu-kupubutterfly
2Malaykupu-kupubutterfly
Every word from Sanskrit गज् →Every word from Sanskrit गज →Every word from Classical Malay gajah →