Where does “difi-bato” come from?

difi-bato (Malagasy) comes from Malagasy vato, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian batu, from Proto-Austronesian *batux — rock; stone.

difi-bato (Malagasy): chip of stone

Definitions

  1. chip of stone

Ancestry of “difi-bato”, step by step

difi-bato traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Malagasy vato

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malagasyvatorock, stone, cobble
2Proto-Malayo-Polynesianbatustone
3Proto-Austronesian*batuxrock; stone

via Malagasy difika

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malagasydifikasplinter, fragment
Every word from Proto-Austronesian *batux →Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian batu →Every word from Malagasy vato →