Where does “yaya” come from?
yaya (Swahili) comes from Portuguese aia, from Latin avia, from Latin avus, from Proto-Celtic abū, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ep- — water, body of water.
yaya (Swahili): nanny, babysitter
Ancestry of “yaya”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Portuguese | aia | lady-in-waiting; tutor, teacher; chambermaid |
| 2 | Latin | avia | grandmother; groundsel; singular feminine... |
| 3 | Latin | avus | grandfather; an ancestor, a progenitor, a... |
| 4 | Proto-Celtic | abū | river |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ep- | water, body of water |