Where does “mate” come from?
mate (Tahitian) comes from Proto-Polynesian mate, from Proto-Oceanic mate, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian (m-)atay, from Proto-Austronesian aCay.
mate (Tahitian): dead; to die
Ancestry of “mate”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-Polynesian | mate | death |
| 2 | Proto-Oceanic | mate | — |
| 3 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | (m-)atay | — |
| 4 | Proto-Austronesian | aCay | — |