Where does “táo mèo” come from?

táo mèo (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese táo, from Chinese 造, from Middle Chinese 作, from Middle Chinese 家.

táo mèo (Vietnamese): Docynia indica

Definitions

  1. Docynia indica

Ancestry of “táo mèo”, step by step

táo mèo traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese táo

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesetáoapple
2Chinese造—
3Middle Chinese作—
4Middle Chinese家—

via Vietnamese mèo

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesemèocat; meow
Every word from Middle Chinese 家 →Every word from Middle Chinese 作 →Every word from Chinese 造 →