lhèë (Acehnese)
Where does "lhèë" come from?
The Acehnese word 'lhèë', meaning three, traces its roots back to the Proto-Austronesian term *təlu, which likely formed from a combination meaning 'one plus two.' Over millennia, the word evolved through Proto-Malayo-Polynesian and Proto-Chamic before settling into its modern form in Acehnese.
Full etymology tree
- lhèë (Acehnese), 'three'
- inherited *klɔw (Proto-Chamic), 'three'
- inherited *təlu (Proto-Malayo-Polynesian), 'three'
- inherited *təlu (Proto-Austronesian), 'three'
- derived *tədu (Pra-Proto-Austronesian)
- compound *tə- (Pra-Proto-Austronesian)
- compound *duSa (Proto-Austronesian), 'two'
- compound *du- (Proto-Austronesian)
- compound *əsa (Proto-Austronesian), 'one'
- derived *tədu (Pra-Proto-Austronesian)
- inherited *təlu (Proto-Austronesian), 'three'
- inherited *təlu (Proto-Malayo-Polynesian), 'three'
- inherited *klɔw (Proto-Chamic), 'three'
Ancestors
- *klɔw (Proto-Chamic)
- *təlu (Proto-Malayo-Polynesian)
- *təlu (Proto-Austronesian)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris