Where does “nước mẹ” come from?

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

nước mẹ (Vietnamese): metropole; parent-state; mother country

Definitions

  1. metropole; parent-state; mother country

Ancestry of “nước mẹ”, step by step

nước mẹ traces back through 3 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 mẹ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesemẹa mother; I/me, your mother; you, my mother
2Chinese

via Chinese 母國

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Chinese母國homeland; home country; motherland; fatherland
Every word from Proto-Mon-Khmer ɗaakEvery word from Proto-Vietic ɗaːkEvery word from Vietnamese nước