Where does “gai ốc” come from?

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

gai ốc (Vietnamese): goosebumps (on the skin)

Definitions

  1. goosebumps (on the skin)

Ancestry of “gai ốc”, step by step

gai ốc traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese gái

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

via Vietnamese ốc

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnameseốca mollusk with a spiral shell; a nut
2Proto-Vieticʔoːksnail
Every word from Proto-Vietic t-keː →Every word from Vietnamese gái →