Where does “yếu kém” come from?

yếu kém (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese kém, from French chou à la crème, from French crème, from Middle French chresme, from Old French cresme, from Late Latin crama, from Late Latin chrisma, from Ancient Greek χρῖσμα — to rub; to stroke; to grind.

yếu kém (Vietnamese): weak; deficient

Definitions

  1. weak; deficient

Ancestry of “yếu kém”, step by step

yếu kém traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese kém

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesekémless; lesser; bad; preceding
2Frenchchou à la crèmecream puff
3Frenchcrèmecream; cool; café crème
4Middle Frenchchresmecream (milk product)
5Old Frenchcresmecream
6Late Latincramaskim; nominative plural of crāmum; accusative...
7Late Latinchrismaointment
8Ancient Greekχρῖσμαanointing, unction; wall coating, plaster
9Ancient Greekχρίωto rub or smear (especially the body) with oil or unguents; to anoint
10Proto-Indo-Europeangʰrēy-to smear; to paint, streak, smear
11Proto-Indo-Europeangʰer-to rub; to stroke; to grind

via Vietnamese yếu

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnameseyếuweak, feeble
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰer-