Where does “wai” come from?

wai (Pukapukan) comes from Proto-Polynesian *fai, from Proto-Oceanic *paʀi, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian paʀih, from Proto-Austronesian paʀiS — ray.

wai (Pukapukan): stingray venomous ray of the orders Rajiformes and Myliobatiformes

Definitions

  1. stingray venomous ray of the orders Rajiformes and Myliobatiformes

Ancestry of “wai”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Polynesian*fairay marine fish with a flat body, large wing-like fins, and a whip-like tail
2Proto-Oceanic*paʀistingray
3Proto-Malayo-Polynesianpaʀihray
4Proto-AustronesianpaʀiSray
Every word from Proto-Austronesian paʀiS →Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian paʀih →Every word from Proto-Oceanic *paʀi →