Where does “hiền lành” come from?

hiền lành (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese Lạnh, from French lin, from Latin līnum, from Proto-Italic līnom, from Proto-Indo-European līnom — flax.

hiền lành (Vietnamese): good-natured; gentle

Definitions

  1. good-natured; gentle

Ancestry of “hiền lành”, step by step

hiền lành traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese Lạnh

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1VietnameseLạnh
2Frenchlinlinen; flax
3Latinlīnumflax
4Proto-Italiclīnom
5Proto-Indo-Europeanlīnomflax

via Vietnamese hiền

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesehiềnvirtuous; kind; gentle; meek; docile; innocuous;...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European līnomEvery word from Proto-Italic līnomEvery word from Latin līnum
hiền lành — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer