Where does “tawan” come from?

tawan (Indonesian) comes from Malay tawan, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *tabaŋ, from Proto-Austronesian *tabaN — head trophy trophy taken in headhunting.

tawan (Indonesian): to catch, to capture

Definitions

  1. to catch, to capture

Ancestry of “tawan”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malaytawanto captivate, to capture, to conquer
2Proto-Malayo-Polynesian*tabaŋ—
3Proto-Austronesian*tabaNhead trophy trophy taken in headhunting
Every word from Proto-Austronesian *tabaN →Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *tabaŋ →Every word from Malay tawan →
tawan — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer