Where does “tai” come from?
tai (Maori) comes from Proto-Polynesian tai, from Proto-Oceanic tasik, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian tasik, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian tasik, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian tasik — sea; saltwater.
tai (Maori): sea
Ancestry of “tai”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-Polynesian | tai | sea; saltwater |
| 2 | Proto-Oceanic | tasik | sea; saltwater |
| 3 | Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian | tasik | — |
| 4 | Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian | tasik | — |
| 5 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | tasik | sea; saltwater |