Where does “từ láy” come from?

từ láy (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese từ, from Chinese 字, from Chinese 母, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *məʔ — mother.

từ láy (Vietnamese): a reduplicative, a multisyllabic word (typically onomatopoeic or ideophonic) whose syllables are repeated wholely from a root (từ láy toàn bộ) or share either an onset consonant, a rhyme, and/or a "pseudo-rhyme" featuring homorganic consonants (từ láy bộ phận); all or some (in which case, the one me

Definitions

  1. a reduplicative, a multisyllabic word (typically onomatopoeic or ideophonic) whose syllables are repeated wholely from a root (từ láy toàn bộ) or share either an onset consonant, a rhyme, and/or a "pseudo-rhyme" featuring homorganic consonants (từ láy bộ phận); all or some (in which case, the one me

Ancestry of “từ láy”, step by step

từ láy traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese từ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesetừfrom, since; at, in; word
2Chinese
3Chinese
4Proto-Sino-Tibetan*məʔmother

via Vietnamese láy

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnameseláyto repeat, to reiterate
Every word from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *məʔEvery word from Chinese Every word from Chinese