Where does “ít khi” come from?

ít khi (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese ít, from Proto-Vietic ʔiːt, from Proto-Mon-Khmer ʔit.

ít khi (Vietnamese): seldom, rarely

Definitions

  1. seldom, rarely

Ancestry of “ít khi”, step by step

ít khi traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese ít

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnameseítfew, little
2Proto-Vieticʔiːt—
3Proto-Mon-Khmerʔit—

via Vietnamese khí

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1VietnamesekhíClipping of không khí; gas; chi
2Proto-Vietickʰih—
Every word from Proto-Mon-Khmer ʔit →Every word from Proto-Vietic ʔiːt →Every word from Vietnamese ít →