Where does “bôi nhọ” come from?

bôi nhọ (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese nhỏ, from Proto-Vietic k-ɲǝːʔ — to remember.

bôi nhọ (Vietnamese): to bad-mouth someone, to defame

Definitions

  1. to bad-mouth someone, to defame

Ancestry of “bôi nhọ”, step by step

bôi nhọ traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese nhỏ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesenhỏsmall; little; child; girl
2Proto-Vietick-ɲǝːʔto remember

via Vietnamese bôi

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesebôito smear, to apply, to coat
Every word from Proto-Vietic k-ɲǝːʔ →Every word from Vietnamese nhỏ →