Where does “moana” come from?

moana (Tahitian) comes from Proto-Polynesian moana, from Proto-Oceanic *masawaŋ, from Proto-Oceanic *sawaŋ, from Proto-Austronesian *sawaŋ.

moana (Tahitian): ocean, sea

Definitions

  1. ocean, sea

Ancestry of “moana”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Polynesianmoanaocean sea beyond the reef
2Proto-Oceanic*masawaŋopen sea
3Proto-Oceanic*sawaŋ—
4Proto-Austronesian*sawaŋ—
Every word from Proto-Austronesian *sawaŋ →Every word from Proto-Oceanic *sawaŋ →Every word from Proto-Oceanic *masawaŋ →