Where does “đắng cay” come from?

đắng cay (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese cây, from Proto-Vietic gəl, from Proto-Mon-Khmer (d)kər — tree; plant; tree, plant.

đắng cay (Vietnamese): painful; miserable

Definitions

  1. painful; miserable

Ancestry of “đắng cay”, step by step

đắng cay traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese cây

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesecâytree; plant; Short for cây số
2Proto-Vieticgəl—
3Proto-Mon-Khmer(d)kərtree; plant; tree, plant

via Vietnamese đáng

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnameseđángworthy, worth; to deserve, to merit
2Proto-Vietictaŋʔbitter
3Proto-Mon-Khmerkt₂aŋbitter
Every word from Proto-Mon-Khmer (d)kər →Every word from Proto-Vietic gəl →Every word from Vietnamese cây →