Where does “чаёк” come from?
чаёк (Russian) comes from Russian чай, from Ottoman Turkish چای, from Persian چای, from Hindi चाय, from Middle Chinese 茶, from Chinese 茶, from Proto-Loloish la¹, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan s-la — leaf; tea; flat object.
чаёк (Russian): Diminutive of чай
Ancestry of “чаёк”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Russian | чай | tea; tea plant; methinks, must be, may be,... |
| 2 | Ottoman Turkish | چای | tea; rivulet |
| 3 | Persian | چای | tea |
| 4 | Hindi | चाय | tea; cup of tea |
| 5 | Middle Chinese | 茶 | — |
| 6 | Chinese | 茶 | tea |
| 7 | Proto-Loloish | la¹ | tea |
| 8 | Proto-Sino-Tibetan | s-la | leaf; tea; flat object |