Where does “thư từ” come from?

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

thư từ (Vietnamese): letters

Definitions

  1. letters

Ancestry of “thư từ”, step by step

thư từ traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese từ

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

via Vietnamese thứ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesethứinferior in quality, second, second vice, under;...
2Chinese首neck
3Proto-Sino-Tibetan*qV-luʔhead
Every word from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *məʔ →Every word from Chinese 母 →Every word from Chinese 字 →