Where does “hộp thư” come from?

hộp thư (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese thứ, from Chinese 首, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *qV-luʔ — head.

hộp thư (Vietnamese): mailbox

Definitions

  1. mailbox

Ancestry of “hộp thư”, step by step

hộp thư traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese thứ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesethứinferior in quality, second, second vice, under;...
2Chinese首neck
3Proto-Sino-Tibetan*qV-luʔhead

via Vietnamese hộp

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesehộpa squarish container made of bendable material,...
2Chinese盒—
Every word from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *qV-luʔ →Every word from Chinese 首 →Every word from Vietnamese thứ →
hộp thư — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer