Where does “nước mắt” come from?

nước mắt (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese nước, from Proto-Vietic ɗaːk, from Proto-Mon-Khmer ɗaak — water; liquid; The sense of "river, stream" that...

nước mắt (Vietnamese): tear

Definitions

  1. tear

Ancestry of “nước mắt”, step by step

nước mắt traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese nước

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesenướcwater; liquid; fluid; the liquid part of a broth
2Proto-Vieticɗaːkwater, liquid
3Proto-Mon-Khmerɗaakwater; liquid; The sense of "river, stream" that...

via Vietnamese mắt

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesemắteye
2Proto-Vieticmateye
3Proto-Mon-Khmermateye

Words derived from “nước mắt”

Every word from Proto-Mon-Khmer ɗaak →Every word from Proto-Vietic ɗaːk →Every word from Vietnamese nước →
nước mắt — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer