Where does “bonzo” come from?
bonzo (Italian) comes from Portuguese bonzo, from Japanese 凡僧, from Middle Chinese 凡 — ordinary.
bonzo (Italian): bonze
Ancestry of “bonzo”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Portuguese | bonzo | bonze |
| 2 | Japanese | 凡僧 | An ordinary, lowly, itinerant monk |
| 3 | Middle Chinese | 凡 | ordinary |