Where does “ăn phở” come from?

ăn phở (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese phở, from Vietnamese vô, from Vietnamese vụ, from Chinese 務, from Sino-Tibetan *mow.

ăn phở (Vietnamese): to eat "pho"; to have an affair

Definitions

  1. to eat "pho"; to have an affair

Ancestry of “ăn phở”, step by step

ăn phở traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese phở

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesephởpho; to clear
2Vietnamesevôto enter; to go into; to toast; emphasizing...
3Vietnamesevụseason; case, affair; specialized department...
4Chinese務—
5Sino-Tibetan*mow—

via Vietnamese ăn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnameseănto eat; Synonym of uống; to dine; to feast, to...
2Chinese安—
Every word from Sino-Tibetan *mow →Every word from Chinese 務 →Every word from Vietnamese vụ →