Where does “kau” come from?

kau (Maori) comes from Proto-Polynesian kau, from Proto-Oceanic kayu, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian kayu, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian kayu, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian kahiw, from Proto-Austronesian kaSiw — wood; tree.

kau (Maori): tree; wood; stick; to swim

Definitions

  1. tree; wood; stick; to swim

Ancestry of “kau”, step by step

kau traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Proto-Polynesian kau

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Polynesiankauwood; tree
2Proto-Oceanickayuwood; tree
3Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesiankayu—
4Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesiankayu—
5Proto-Malayo-Polynesiankahiwwood; tree
6Proto-AustronesiankaSiwwood; tree

via English cow

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcowAn adult female of the species "Bos taurus",...
2Middle EnglishcowAlternative form of cou
3Old Englishcūcow
4Proto-West Germanic*kōcow
5Proto-Germanic*kōzcow

Words derived from “kau”

Every word from Proto-Austronesian kaSiw →Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian kahiw →Every word from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian kayu →