Where does “em tam” come from?

em tam (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese em, from Proto-Vietic ʔɛːm, from Proto-Mon-Khmer (sʔ)iəm.

em tam (Vietnamese): youngest sibling

Definitions

  1. youngest sibling

Ancestry of “em tam”, step by step

em tam traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese em

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnameseemyounger sibling; I/me, someone who's presumably a...
2Proto-Vieticʔɛːm—
3Proto-Mon-Khmer(sʔ)iəm—

via Vietnamese tắm

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesetắmto wash a body, usually your own; to bathe, to...
2Chinese心heart, mind
3Proto-Mon-Khmersəm—
Every word from Proto-Mon-Khmer (sʔ)iəm →Every word from Proto-Vietic ʔɛːm →Every word from Vietnamese em →