Where does “kau-” come from?

kau- (Tokelauan) comes from Proto-Polynesian kau, from Proto-Oceanic kayu, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian kayu, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian kayu, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian kahiw, from Proto-Austronesian kaSiw — wood; tree.

kau- (Tokelauan): Forms compounds denoting a group of people

Definitions

  1. Forms compounds denoting a group of people

Ancestry of “kau-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Polynesiankauwood; tree
2Proto-Oceanickayuwood; tree
3Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesiankayu—
4Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesiankayu—
5Proto-Malayo-Polynesiankahiwwood; tree
6Proto-AustronesiankaSiwwood; tree

Words derived from “kau-”

Every word from Proto-Austronesian kaSiw →Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian kahiw →Every word from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian kayu →