Where does “nyawa” come from?

nyawa (Tausug) comes from Malay nyawa, from Proto-Malayic ñawa, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian nihawa, from Proto-Austronesian niSawa — breath.

nyawa (Tausug): soul, spirit

Definitions

  1. soul, spirit

Ancestry of “nyawa”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malaynyawalife; soul
2Proto-Malayicñawabreath
3Proto-Malayo-Polynesiannihawabreath
4Proto-AustronesianniSawabreath
Every word from Proto-Austronesian niSawa →