lima (Indonesian)
Where does "lima" come from?
The Indonesian word "lima," meaning "five," is a remarkably stable term that traces its origins back to a Proto-Austronesian root. Throughout its long journey from Proto-Austronesian to Proto-Malayo-Polynesian and Proto-Malayic, the word has maintained its numerical value. Interestingly, while the term originally denoted the hand, that specific anatomical meaning was eventually displaced by the word "tangan" in modern Malayic languages.
Full etymology tree
- lima (Indonesian), 'five'
- inherited lima (Malay), 'five'
- inherited *lima(ʔ) (Proto-Malayic), 'five'
- inherited *lima (Proto-Malayo-Polynesian), 'five'
- inherited *lima (Proto-Austronesian), 'five'
- inherited *lima (Proto-Malayo-Polynesian), 'five'
- inherited *lima(ʔ) (Proto-Malayic), 'five'
- inherited lima (Malay), 'five'
Ancestors
- lima (Malay)
- *lima(ʔ) (Proto-Malayic)
- *lima (Proto-Malayo-Polynesian)
- *lima (Proto-Austronesian)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris