Where does “waiū” come from?

waiū (Maori) comes from Maori wai, from Proto-Eastern Polynesian wai, from Proto-Nuclear Polynesian wai, from Proto-Polynesian wai, from Proto-Oceanic waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian wahiʀ — water.

waiū (Maori): milk

Definitions

  1. milk

Ancestry of “waiū”, step by step

waiū traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Maori wai

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Maoriwaiwater; liquid; who?
2Proto-Eastern Polynesianwaiwater
3Proto-Nuclear Polynesianwaiwater
4Proto-Polynesianwaiwater
5Proto-Oceanicwaiʀwater
6Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesianwaiʀwater
7Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesianwaiʀwater
8Proto-Malayo-Polynesianwahiʀwater

via Maori ū

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Maoriūbreast; udder, teat; to strike home, to hit the...
2Proto-Polynesiansusubreast, milk; to suck
3Proto-Oceanic*susu-breast female organ
4Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian*susu
5Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian*susu
6Proto-Malayo-Polynesiansusubreast
7Proto-Austronesiansusubreast
Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian wahiʀEvery word from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian waiʀEvery word from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian waiʀ
waiū — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer