Where does “apa benda” come from?

apa benda (Malay) comes from Malay apa, from Proto-Malayic apa, from Proto-Austronesian *apa.

apa benda (Malay): or what the heck, intensive form of

Definitions

  1. or what the heck, intensive form of

Ancestry of “apa benda”, step by step

apa benda traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Malay apa

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malayapawhat; "introduces a question"
2Proto-Malayicapawhat
3Proto-Austronesian*apa—

via Malay benda

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malaybendaobject, thing, stuff, item, good
2Sanskritभाण्डgood
Every word from Proto-Austronesian *apa →Every word from Proto-Malayic apa →Every word from Malay apa →