Where does “nilai tambah” come from?

nilai tambah (Indonesian) comes from Indonesian nilai, from Tamil நிலை, from Tamil -ஐ, from Tamil தொல்லை, from Tamil தொலை — to become lost.

nilai tambah (Indonesian): the amount by which the value of an article is increased at each stage of its production, exclusive of initial costs; value added

Definitions

  1. the amount by which the value of an article is increased at each stage of its production, exclusive of initial costs; value added

Ancestry of “nilai tambah”, step by step

nilai tambah traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Indonesian nilai

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Indonesiannilaivalue, grade, mark; score, grade, mark; value,...
2Tamilநிலைcondition, state, situation; place, seat,...
3Tamil-ஐmakes nouns from verbs
4Tamilதொல்லைannoyance, vexation
5Tamilதொலைto become lost

via Indonesian tambah

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Indonesiantambahplus
2Malaytambahto add; plus
Every word from Tamil தொலை →Every word from Tamil -ஐ →Every word from Tamil நிலை →