Where does “vakalele” come from?
vakalele (Niuean) comes from Niuean lele, from Proto-Polynesian lele, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *laʀiv.
vakalele (Niuean): airplane
Ancestry of “vakalele”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Niuean | lele | fly |
| 2 | Proto-Polynesian | lele | — |
| 3 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | *laʀiv | — |