Where does “mata jahat” come from?

mata jahat (Malay) comes from Malay mata, from Proto-Malayic mata, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian mata, from Proto-Austronesian mata, from Proto-Austronesian maCa — eye organ.

mata jahat (Malay): evil eye

Definitions

  1. evil eye

Ancestry of “mata jahat”, step by step

mata jahat traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Malay mata

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malaymataeye; edge; hole
2Proto-Malayicmataeye
3Proto-Malayo-Polynesianmataeye
4Proto-Austronesianmataeye
5Proto-AustronesianmaCaeye organ

via Malay jahat

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malayjahatbad, evil; naughty, undisciplined; malicious
2Proto-Malayicjahatbad, evil
3Proto-Malayo-Polynesianzaqatbad, evil; ugly
Every word from Proto-Austronesian maCa →