Where does “bắt máy” come from?

bắt máy (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese máy, from Proto-Vietic miː, from Proto-Mon-Khmer miiʔ.

bắt máy (Vietnamese): to pick up the phone

Definitions

  1. to pick up the phone

Ancestry of “bắt máy”, step by step

bắt máy traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese máy

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesemáymachine; engine; internal combustion engine
2Proto-Vieticmiː—
3Proto-Mon-Khmermiiʔ—

via Vietnamese bắt

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesebắtto seize; to catch
2Proto-Vietic*pəc—
Every word from Proto-Mon-Khmer miiʔ →Every word from Proto-Vietic miː →Every word from Vietnamese máy →