Where does “Rotorua” come from?
Rotorua (Maori) comes from Maori rua, from Proto-Eastern Polynesian rua, from Proto-Nuclear Polynesian rua, from Proto-Polynesian rua, from Proto-Oceanic rua, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian duha, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian duha, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian duha — two.
Ancestry of “Rotorua”, step by step
Rotorua traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Maori rua
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maori | rua | two; pit; cavity |
| 2 | Proto-Eastern Polynesian | rua | — |
| 3 | Proto-Nuclear Polynesian | rua | — |
| 4 | Proto-Polynesian | rua | two |
| 5 | Proto-Oceanic | rua | two |
| 6 | Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian | duha | — |
| 7 | Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian | duha | — |
| 8 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | duha | two |
| 9 | Proto-Austronesian | *duha | — |
| 10 | Proto-Austronesian | duSa | two |