Where does “nau” come from?
nau (Middle Breton) comes from Old Breton nau, from Proto-Brythonic naw, from Proto-Celtic nawan, from Proto-Austronesian *nihawa, from Proto-Austronesian niSawa.
Ancestry of “nau”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Breton | nau | — |
| 2 | Proto-Brythonic | naw | nine |
| 3 | Proto-Celtic | nawan | nine |
| 4 | Proto-Austronesian | *nihawa | — |
| 5 | Proto-Austronesian | niSawa | — |