Where does “Papatūānuku” come from?
Papatūānuku (Maori) comes from Maori papa, from Proto-Polynesian *papa, from Proto-Oceanic *papan, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *papan — plank, board.
Ancestry of “Papatūānuku”, step by step
Papatūānuku traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Maori papa
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Maori | papa | rump |
| 2 | Proto-Polynesian | *papa | board, plank |
| 3 | Proto-Oceanic | *papan | — |
| 4 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | *papan | plank, board |
via Maori ā
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Maori | ā | collarbone; to drive something, such as cattle or... |
| 2 | Maori | āe | yes |
| 3 | Proto-Nuclear Polynesian | ae | yes; affirmative; agreed |
via Proto-Indo-European tū-
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-Indo-European | tū- | — |