Where does “kawa” come from?

kawa (Maori) comes from Proto-Polynesian kawa, from Proto-Oceanic *kawaʀ, from Proto-Oceanic *wakaʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wakaʀ — root.

kawa (Maori): sour; a ceremony to remove tapu from a new house...

Definitions

  1. sour; a ceremony to remove tapu from a new house...

Ancestry of “kawa”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Polynesiankawakava, bitterness; bitter, sour
2Proto-Oceanic*kawaʀpotent root root of a plant with strong properties: e.g. ginger
3Proto-Oceanic*wakaʀ—
4Proto-Malayo-Polynesian*wakaʀroot

Words derived from “kawa”

Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wakaʀ →Every word from Proto-Oceanic *wakaʀ →Every word from Proto-Oceanic *kawaʀ →
kawa — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer