Where does “mật ong” come from?

mật ong (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese ông, from Proto-Vietic ʔɔːŋ, from Proto-Mon-Khmer ʔuŋ — wasp; hornet.

mật ong (Vietnamese): honey

Definitions

  1. honey

Ancestry of “mật ong”, step by step

mật ong traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese ông

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnameseônggrandfather; grandpa; Sir; Mr; you, my...
2Proto-Vieticʔɔːŋhoney bee
3Proto-Mon-Khmerʔuŋwasp; hornet

via Vietnamese mật

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesemậthoney; concentrated sugarcane juice; molasses;...
2Middle Chinese密—
Every word from Proto-Mon-Khmer ʔuŋ →Every word from Proto-Vietic ʔɔːŋ →Every word from Vietnamese ông →