Where does “lau” come from?
lau (Samoan) comes from Proto-Nuclear Polynesian *lau, from Proto-Polynesian rau, from Proto-Oceanic raun, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian dahun — leaf.
lau (Samoan): leaf; hundred
Ancestry of “lau”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-Nuclear Polynesian | *lau | — |
| 2 | Proto-Polynesian | rau | hundred |
| 3 | Proto-Oceanic | raun | — |
| 4 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | dahun | leaf |