Where does “vai” come from?

vai (Samoan) comes from Proto-Polynesian wai, from Proto-Oceanic waiʀ, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian waiʀ, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian waiʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian wahiʀ — water.

vai (Samoan): water; crake

Definitions

  1. water; crake

Ancestry of “vai”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Polynesianwaiwater
2Proto-Oceanicwaiʀwater
3Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesianwaiʀwater
4Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesianwaiʀwater
5Proto-Malayo-Polynesianwahiʀwater
Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian wahiʀ →Every word from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian waiʀ →Every word from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian waiʀ →