Where does “'ava” come from?
'ava (Samoan) comes from Proto-Polynesian kawa, from Proto-Oceanic *kawaʀ, from Proto-Oceanic *wakaʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wakaʀ.
'ava (Samoan): kava
Ancestry of “'ava”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-Polynesian | kawa | kava, bitterness; bitter, sour |
| 2 | Proto-Oceanic | *kawaʀ | — |
| 3 | Proto-Oceanic | *wakaʀ | — |
| 4 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | *wakaʀ | — |