Where does “air bah” come from?

air bah (Malay) comes from Malay air, from Proto-Malayic air, from Proto-Malayo-Chamic air, from Proto-Malayo-Sumbawan wair, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian wahiʀ — water.

air bah (Malay): floodwater water of flood

Definitions

  1. floodwater water of flood

Ancestry of “air bah”, step by step

air bah traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Malay air

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malayairwater; a cockfight round which started by...
2Proto-Malayicairwater
3Proto-Malayo-Chamicairwater
4Proto-Malayo-Sumbawanwairwater
5Proto-Malayo-Polynesianwahiʀwater

via Malay bah

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malaybahflood; Alternative form of abah; Alternative form...
2Sabah Malaybahused as an intensifier
Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian wahiʀ →Every word from Proto-Malayo-Sumbawan wair →Every word from Proto-Malayo-Chamic air →