Where does “bèo cái” come from?

bèo cái (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese béo, from Proto-Vietic pɛːw — leopard, panther.

bèo cái (Vietnamese): water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes)

Definitions

  1. water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes)

Ancestry of “bèo cái”, step by step

bèo cái traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese béo

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesebéofat; fatty; to pinch
2Proto-Vieticpɛːwleopard, panther

via Vietnamese cái

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesecáia thing; a whatsit; the solid bits of a broth;...
2Proto-Vietic-keːʔwoman, female
Every word from Proto-Vietic pɛːw →Every word from Vietnamese béo →