Where does “nana” come from?

nana (Malay) comes from Tamil அண்ணா, from Tamil நா, from Tamil நால், from Old Swedish nāl, from Old Norse nál, from Proto-Germanic nēþlō, from Proto-Indo-European (s)neh₁- — to spin (thread), to sew.

nana (Malay): brother

Definitions

  1. brother

Ancestry of “nana”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Tamilஅண்ணாelder brother
2Tamilநாtongue
3Tamilநால்four
4Old Swedishnālneedle
5Old Norsenálneedle
6Proto-Germanicnēþlōneedle
7Proto-Indo-European(s)neh₁-to spin (thread), to sew
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)neh₁- →Every word from Proto-Germanic nēþlō →Every word from Old Norse nál →