Where does “bù đầu” come from?

bù đầu (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese bú, from Proto-Vietic buːʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer ʔbuuʔ — to suck at the breast, to suckle.

bù đầu (Vietnamese): overwhelmingly; over head and ears; hopelessly

Definitions

  1. overwhelmingly; over head and ears; hopelessly

Ancestry of “bù đầu”, step by step

bù đầu traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese bú

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesebúto suck to consume milk
2Proto-Vieticbuːʔ—
3Proto-Mon-Khmerʔbuuʔto suck at the breast, to suckle

via Vietnamese đầu

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnameseđầuhead; tip; end; beginning; commencement; start
2Middle Chinese頭—
Every word from Proto-Mon-Khmer ʔbuuʔ →Every word from Proto-Vietic buːʔ →Every word from Vietnamese bú →