Where does “chết chẹt” come from?

chết chẹt (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese chết, from Proto-Vietic k-ceːt, from Proto-Austroasiatic *kceːt — to die.

chết chẹt (Vietnamese): to be in a bind; to be in a pickle; to be stuck in the middle (hopelessly)

Definitions

  1. to be in a bind; to be in a pickle; to be stuck in the middle (hopelessly)

Ancestry of “chết chẹt”, step by step

chết chẹt traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese chết

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesechếtto die; dead
2Proto-Vietick-ceːtto die
3Proto-Austroasiatic*kceːtto die

via Vietnamese chẹt

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesechẹtto choke; to strangle
Every word from Proto-Austroasiatic *kceːt →Every word from Proto-Vietic k-ceːt →Every word from Vietnamese chết →
chết chẹt — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer