Where does “au” come from?

au (Rapa Nui) comes from Proto-Polynesian au, from Proto-Oceanic (i-)au, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian (i-)aku, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian (i-)aku, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian (i-)aku, from Proto-Austronesian (i-)aku — I; me; my.

au (Rapa Nui): I/me; current; smoke

Definitions

  1. I/me; current; smoke

Ancestry of “au”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-PolynesianauI, me, my
2Proto-Oceanic(i-)auI
3Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian(i-)akuI
4Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian(i-)akuI; me; my
5Proto-Malayo-Polynesian(i-)akuI; me; my
6Proto-Austronesian(i-)akuI; me; my
Every word from Proto-Austronesian (i-)aku →Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian (i-)aku →Every word from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian (i-)aku →