*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Yau

From Hokkien 姚 (Iâu), Cantonese 丘 (jau1), Cantonese 邱 (jau1), Cantonese 尤 (jau4), Cantonese 游 (jau4), etc.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
name

A surname.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Hokkien 姚 (Iâu), Cantonese 丘 (jau1), Cantonese 邱 (jau1), Cantonese 尤 (jau4), Cantonese 游 (jau4), etc.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mention姚nan-hbl
  • Borrowed-form mention丘yue
  • Borrowed-form mention邱yue
  • Borrowed-form mention游yue
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "nan-hbl:姚",
        "id": "nan"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Hokkien\", \"term\" : \"姚\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"nan-hbl\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"Yau\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"nan\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"Yau\" id=\"English:_nan\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "yue:丘",
        "id": "hill"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Cantonese\", \"term\" : \"丘\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"yue\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"Yau\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"hill\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"Yau\" id=\"English:_hill\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "yue:邱",
        "id": "qiu"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Cantonese\", \"term\" : \"邱\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"yue\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"Yau\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"qiu\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"Yau\" id=\"English:_qiu\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "yue:尤",
        "id": "jau尤"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Cantonese\", \"term\" : \"尤\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"yue\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"Yau\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"jau尤\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"Yau\" id=\"English:_jau尤\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "yue:游",
        "id": "jau游"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Cantonese\", \"term\" : \"游\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"yue\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"Yau\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"jau游\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"Yau\" id=\"English:_jau游\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nan-hbl",
        "3": "姚",
        "tr": "Iâu"
      },
      "expansion": "Hokkien 姚 (Iâu)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "yue",
        "3": "丘",
        "tr": "jau1"
      },
      "expansion": "Cantonese 丘 (jau1)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "yue",
        "3": "邱",
        "tr": "jau1"
      },
      "expansion": "Cantonese 邱 (jau1)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "yue",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Cantonese"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "尤",
        "tr": "jau4"
      },
      "expansion": "尤 (jau4)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "yue",
        "3": "游",
        "tr": "jau4"
      },
      "expansion": "Cantonese 游 (jau4)"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "nan-hbl:姚",
        "id": "nan"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "yue:丘",
        "id": "hill"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "yue:邱",
        "id": "qiu"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "yue:尤",
        "id": "jau尤"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "yue:游",
        "id": "jau游"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "姚",
      "姚#Hokkien"
    ],
    [
      "丘",
      "丘#Cantonese"
    ],
    [
      "邱",
      "邱#Cantonese"
    ],
    [
      "尤",
      "尤#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "游",
      "游#Cantonese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "8dfb590c1c40c9c949104f0bc77fa317e673fa35ccc638c7db1ceac4789ac3c9",
      "rawRecordSha256": "0e59b211b704c8146a25ee99d907b4e0603d923ffdb34c5caecd26577f13d2cd",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 6577486
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Yau →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-WWF1