Where does “แมลงภู่” come from?

แมลงภู่ (Thai) comes from Thai แมลง, from Proto-Southwestern Tai mlɛːŋᴬ, from Proto-Tai m.leːŋᴬ, from Middle Chinese 螟蛉.

แมลงภู่ (Thai): carpenter bee, of genus Xylocopa

Definitions

  1. carpenter bee, of genus Xylocopa

Ancestry of “แมลงภู่”, step by step

แมลงภู่ traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Thai แมลง

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Thaiแมลงhexapod; insect
2Proto-Southwestern Taimlɛːŋᴬinsect
3Proto-Taim.leːŋᴬinsect
4Middle Chinese螟蛉—

via Thai ภู่

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Thaiภู่carpenter bee, of genus Xylocopa
Every word from Middle Chinese 螟蛉 →Every word from Proto-Tai m.leːŋᴬ →Every word from Proto-Southwestern Tai mlɛːŋᴬ →