Etymology

Temotu

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Today it means: name of various place names in the Pacific. Full definition →

Proto-Polynesian *te
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The story

  1. Proto-Polynesian · derived from*motu“reef islet”
  2. Proto-Polynesian · derived from*te“the”
  3. English todayTemotu

Reflects the univerbation of Proto-Polynesian *te (“the”) + Proto-Polynesian *motu (“reef islet”). The place name Temotu, literally “the reef islet” arose in different Polynesian languages, making it impossible to indicate the exact source of the English term for different locations with the same name.

Words from the same roots

Proto-Polynesian*motu all →

motu

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.