Where does “besi putih” come from?

besi putih (Malay) comes from Malay putih, from Classical Malay putih, from Proto-Malayic putih, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian (ma-)putiq — white.

besi putih (Malay): tin

Definitions

  1. tin

Ancestry of “besi putih”, step by step

besi putih traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Malay putih

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malayputihwhite
2Classical Malayputihwhite
3Proto-Malayicputihwhite
4Proto-Malayo-Polynesian(ma-)putiqwhite

via Malay besi

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malaybesiiron
2Proto-Malayicbəsi—
3Proto-Malayo-Chamicbəsiiron
Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian (ma-)putiq →Every word from Proto-Malayic putih →Every word from Classical Malay putih →