Where does “atâ” come from?

atâ (Lingala) comes from Swahili hata, from Arabic حَتَّى — even; until; as far as; even; until.

atâ (Lingala): even, even if, although

Definitions

  1. even, even if, although

Ancestry of “atâ”, step by step

atâ traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Swahili hata

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swahilihatauntil; even; in order that
2Arabicحَتَّىeven; until; as far as; even; until

via Tagalog yata

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Tagalogyatamaybe; perhaps
2Proto-Bantu*-ját—
Every word from Arabic حَتَّى →Every word from Swahili hata →