Where does “miền Nam” come from?

miền Nam (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese năm, from Proto-Chamic *nam, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian ənəm, from Proto-Austronesian ənəm, from Proto-Austroasiatic *ənəm.

miền Nam (Vietnamese): southern region

Definitions

  1. southern region

Ancestry of “miền Nam”, step by step

miền Nam traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese năm

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesenămfive; a year
2Proto-Chamic*namsix
3Proto-Malayo-Polynesianənəmsix
4Proto-Austronesianənəmsix
5Proto-Austroasiatic*ənəm—

via Vietnamese miền

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesemiềnregion, district; domain
2Chinese面—
3Proto-Sino-Tibetans-mjalface
Every word from Proto-Austroasiatic *ənəm →
miền Nam — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer