Where does “apa-apa” come from?

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

apa-apa (Malay): anything

Definitions

  1. anything

Ancestry of “apa-apa”, step by step

apa-apa traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Malay apa

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

via Proto-Malayic apa apa

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Malayicapa apaanything
2Proto-Malayo-Polynesianapa apaanything

Words derived from “apa-apa”

Every word from Proto-Austronesian *apa →Every word from Proto-Malayic apa →Every word from Malay apa →