Where does “kava” come from?

kava (Tongan) comes from Proto-Polynesian kawa, from Proto-Oceanic *kawaʀ, from Proto-Oceanic *wakaʀ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wakaʀ — root.

kava (Tongan): bitter; kava

Definitions

  1. bitter; kava

Ancestry of “kava”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Polynesiankawakava, bitterness; bitter, sour
2Proto-Oceanic*kawaʀpotent root root of a plant with strong properties: e.g. ginger
3Proto-Oceanic*wakaʀ—
4Proto-Malayo-Polynesian*wakaʀroot

Words derived from “kava”

Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *wakaʀ →Every word from Proto-Oceanic *wakaʀ →Every word from Proto-Oceanic *kawaʀ →