Where does “châu Âu” come from?

châu Âu (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese châu, from Proto-Vietic cuːʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer cuuʔ — grandchild.

châu Âu (Vietnamese): Europe

Definitions

  1. Europe

Ancestry of “châu Âu”, step by step

châu Âu traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese châu

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesechâua province in ancient China and its colonies;...
2Proto-Vieticcuːʔgrandchild; father's younger brother
3Proto-Mon-Khmercuuʔgrandchild

via Vietnamese âu

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnameseâuperhaps, just; small crock; dockyard, shipyard
2Middle Chinese

via Chinese Mandarin 歐洲

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Chinese Mandarin歐洲

Words derived from “châu Âu

Every word from Proto-Mon-Khmer cuuʔEvery word from Proto-Vietic cuːʔEvery word from Vietnamese châu