Where does “mũi tên” come from?

mũi tên (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese tên, from Proto-Slavic *tъ, from Proto-Balto-Slavic tas, from Proto-Indo-European só — this; that.

mũi tên (Vietnamese): arrow

Definitions

  1. arrow

Ancestry of “mũi tên”, step by step

mũi tên traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese tên

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesetêngiven name; name; person
2Proto-Slavic*tъ—
3Proto-Balto-Slavictasthat
4Proto-Indo-Europeansóthis; that

via Vietnamese mũi

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesemũinose; tip; cape
2Proto-Vieticmuːsnose
3Proto-Mon-Khmermuhnose
Every word from Proto-Indo-European só →Every word from Proto-Balto-Slavic tas →Every word from Proto-Slavic *tъ →