Where does “vaomatua” come from?

vaomatua (Samoan) comes from Samoan matuā, from Proto-Polynesian matuqa, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian (ma-)tuqah, from Proto-Austronesian (ma-)tuqaS — old.

vaomatua (Samoan): virgin forest

Definitions

  1. virgin forest

Ancestry of “vaomatua”, step by step

vaomatua traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Samoan matuā

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Samoanmatuāparent
2Proto-Polynesianmatuqaparent
3Proto-Malayo-Polynesian(ma-)tuqahold
4Proto-Austronesian(ma-)tuqaSold

via Samoan vao

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Samoanvao
Every word from Proto-Austronesian (ma-)tuqaSEvery word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian (ma-)tuqahEvery word from Proto-Polynesian matuqa
vaomatua — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer