Where does “vanua” come from?
vanua (Old Malay) comes from Proto-Malayic bAnua, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian banua, from Proto-Austronesian banua — inhabited land.
Ancestry of “vanua”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-Malayic | bAnua | — |
| 2 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | banua | inhabited land |
| 3 | Proto-Austronesian | banua | inhabited land |