Where does “水子” come from?

水子 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 水, from Old Japanese 水, from Proto-Japonic *mentu — water.

水子 (Japanese): an aborted or miscarried fetus; a newborn baby

Definitions

  1. an aborted or miscarried fetus; a newborn baby

Ancestry of “水子”, step by step

水子 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 水

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese水water; drinking water; a fluid, liquid
2Old Japanese水water
3Proto-Japonic*mentuwater

via Japanese 子

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese子a child; a girl, especially a dear or desired...
2Japanese鼠a mouse or a rat; general term for members of...
3Japanesenezumi—
Every word from Proto-Japonic *mentu →Every word from Old Japanese 水 →Every word from Japanese 水 →