Where does “Kaikōura” come from?
Kaikōura (Maori) comes from Maori kōura, from Maori ura, from Proto-Polynesian qura, from Proto-Oceanic quraŋ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *qudaŋ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *qudaŋ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian qudaŋ, from Proto-Austronesian qudaŋ — shrimp; crayfish; lobster.
Ancestry of “Kaikōura”, step by step
Kaikōura traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Maori kōura
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maori | kōura | crayfish; lobster; gold |
| 2 | Maori | ura | krill; whalefeed, Munida gregaria; shrimp |
| 3 | Proto-Polynesian | qura | shrimp; lobster |
| 4 | Proto-Oceanic | quraŋ | shrimp; crayfish; lobster |
| 5 | Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian | *qudaŋ | — |
| 6 | Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian | *qudaŋ | — |
| 7 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | qudaŋ | shrimp; crayfish; lobster |
| 8 | Proto-Austronesian | qudaŋ | shrimp; crayfish; lobster |