Where does “ചായ” come from?

ചായ (Malayalam) comes from Hindi चाय, from Middle Chinese 茶, from Chinese 茶, from Proto-Loloish la¹, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan s-la — leaf; tea; flat object.

ചായ (Malayalam): tea, beverage made from the brewed leaves or leaf buds of the tea plant Camellia sinensis

Definitions

  1. tea, beverage made from the brewed leaves or leaf buds of the tea plant Camellia sinensis

Ancestry of “ചായ”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Hindiचायtea; cup of tea
2Middle Chinese茶—
3Chinese茶tea
4Proto-Loloishla¹tea
5Proto-Sino-Tibetans-laleaf; tea; flat object

Words derived from “ചായ”

Every word from Proto-Sino-Tibetan s-la →Every word from Proto-Loloish la¹ →Every word from Chinese 茶 →
ചായ — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer