Where does “đàn ông” come from?

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

đàn ông (Vietnamese): man

Definitions

  1. man

Ancestry of “đàn ông”, step by step

đàn ông 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 đàn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnameseđànflock, herd; a number of musical instruments; to...
2Proto-Vieticdaːn
Every word from Proto-Mon-Khmer ʔuŋEvery word from Proto-Vietic ʔɔːŋEvery word from Vietnamese ông
đàn ông — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer