Where does “kanthu” come from?

kanthu (Tumbuka) comes from Tumbuka cinthu, from Proto-Bantu kɪ̀ntʊ̀, from Proto-Bantu *-ntʊ̀.

Ancestry of “kanthu”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Tumbukacinthuthing
2Proto-Bantukɪ̀ntʊ̀thing, object
3Proto-Bantu*-ntʊ̀
Every word from Proto-Bantu *-ntʊ̀Every word from Proto-Bantu kɪ̀ntʊ̀Every word from Tumbuka cinthu