Where does “gái nhảy” come from?

gái nhảy (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese gái, from Proto-Vietic t-keː — thorn.

gái nhảy (Vietnamese): dancing girl; taxi dancer

Definitions

  1. dancing girl; taxi dancer

Ancestry of “gái nhảy”, step by step

gái nhảy traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese gái

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesegáigirls and women; whores; female
2Proto-Vietict-keːthorn

via Vietnamese nhảy

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesenhảyto jump, to leap, to dive; to hop; to dance
2Proto-Vieticʄas—
Every word from Proto-Vietic t-keː →