Where does “gấu ngựa” come from?

gấu ngựa (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese gấu, from Proto-Vietic c-guːʔ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer ɟkaw — bear.

gấu ngựa (Vietnamese): Asian black bear

Definitions

  1. Asian black bear

Ancestry of “gấu ngựa”, step by step

gấu ngựa traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese gấu

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesegấua bear; date; romantic partner
2Proto-Vieticc-guːʔbear
3Proto-Mon-Khmerɟkawbear

via Vietnamese ngựa

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesengựahorse; Short for sức ngựa; trestle
2Proto-Vieticm-ŋəːʔhorse
Every word from Proto-Mon-Khmer ɟkaw →Every word from Proto-Vietic c-guːʔ →Every word from Vietnamese gấu →