Where does “wai mata” come from?

wai mata (Tae') comes from Tae' wai, from Proto-South Sulawesi wai, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian wahiʀ — water.

wai mata (Tae'): tear

Definitions

  1. tear

Ancestry of “wai mata”, step by step

wai mata traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Tae' wai

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Tae'waiwater
2Proto-South Sulawesiwaiwater
3Proto-Malayo-Polynesianwahiʀwater

via Tae' mata

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Tae'mataeye
Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian wahiʀ →Every word from Proto-South Sulawesi wai →Every word from Tae' wai →