Where does “rau muống” come from?

rau muống (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese râu, from Proto-Vietic -soː, from Old Chinese 鬚.

rau muống (Vietnamese): water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica), a green leafy vegetable used as a food in several cuisines of East and Southeast Asia

Definitions

  1. water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica), a green leafy vegetable used as a food in several cuisines of East and Southeast Asia

Ancestry of “rau muống”, step by step

rau muống traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese râu

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnameserâua beard; whiskers; barbels
2Proto-Vietic-soː—
3Old Chinese鬚—

via Vietnamese muống

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1VietnamesemuốngShort for rau muống; funnel
2Proto-Vieticɓɔːŋʔwater spinach
Every word from Old Chinese 鬚 →Every word from Proto-Vietic -soː →Every word from Vietnamese râu →