Where does “semau” come from?

semau (Indonesian) comes from Indonesian mau, from Malay mahu, from Proto-Polynesian *mafu — stale of food.

semau (Indonesian): (as) one wants

Definitions

  1. (as) one wants

Ancestry of “semau”, step by step

semau traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Indonesian mau

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Indonesianmauto want, to desire
2Malaymahuto want, to desire; will
3Proto-Polynesian*mafustale of food

via Indonesian se

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Indonesianse
Every word from Proto-Polynesian *mafu