Where does “kawa” come from?

kawa (Proto-Polynesian) comes from Proto-Oceanic *kawaʀ, from Proto-Oceanic *wakaʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wakaʀ — root.

kawa (Proto-Polynesian): kava, bitterness; bitter, sour

Definitions

  1. kava, bitterness; bitter, sour

Ancestry of “kawa”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Oceanic*kawaʀpotent root root of a plant with strong properties: e.g. ginger
2Proto-Oceanic*wakaʀ—
3Proto-Malayo-Polynesian*wakaʀroot

Words derived from “kawa”

Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wakaʀ →Every word from Proto-Oceanic *wakaʀ →Every word from Proto-Oceanic *kawaʀ →