Where does “tàu điện” come from?
tàu điện (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese Tàu, from Vietnamese Ba Tàu, from Vietnamese ba, from Proto-Vietic paː, from Proto-Mon-Khmer piʔ.
tàu điện (Vietnamese): a powered train
Definitions
- a powered train
Ancestry of “tàu điện”, step by step
tàu điện traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Vietnamese Tàu
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vietnamese | Tàu | Chinese; Chink |
| 2 | Vietnamese | Ba Tàu | Of or pertaining to ethnic Chinese people in... |
| 3 | Vietnamese | ba | father; three; secondborn |
| 4 | Proto-Vietic | paː | three |
| 5 | Proto-Mon-Khmer | piʔ | — |
via Vietnamese điện
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vietnamese | điện | electricity; Short for dòng điện; Clipping of... |
| 2 | Chinese | 殿 | — |
| 3 | Sino-Tibetan | *r-t(u/i)l | — |