Where does “ông già” come from?

ông già (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese ông, from Proto-Vietic ʔɔːŋ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer ʔuŋ — wasp; hornet.

ông già (Vietnamese): old man; elderly man; old man

Definitions

  1. old man; elderly man; old man

Ancestry of “ông già”, step by step

ông già traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese ông

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnameseônggrandfather; grandpa; Sir; Mr; you, my...
2Proto-Vieticʔɔːŋhoney bee
3Proto-Mon-Khmerʔuŋwasp; hornet

via Vietnamese giá

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesegiáprice; bean sprouts; shelf
2Proto-Vietick-raː—
3Proto-Mon-Khmerkraʔroad, way
Every word from Proto-Mon-Khmer ʔuŋ →Every word from Proto-Vietic ʔɔːŋ →Every word from Vietnamese ông →