Where does “ngò gai” come from?

ngò gai (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese gái, from Proto-Vietic t-keː — thorn.

ngò gai (Vietnamese): culantro (Eryngium foetidum)

Definitions

  1. culantro (Eryngium foetidum)

Ancestry of “ngò gai”, step by step

ngò gai traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese gái

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesegáigirls and women; whores; female
2Proto-Vietict-keːthorn

via Vietnamese ngò

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesengòcilantro (coriander leaf)
Every word from Proto-Vietic t-keː →Every word from Vietnamese gái →