Possibly from Middle Chinese 地 (MC dijH).[1] Compare Proto-Mon-Khmer *tiʔ ~ tiiʔ ~ tiəʔ (“that yonder”), Mon တေံ (teʔ, “that”), Khmer ទី (tii), Vietnamese thì (“then, which, to be”), Malay di.
*diːᴮ
- place, ground
- Northern Tai
- Central Tai
- Proto-Southwestern Tai:
- Ahom: 𑜄𑜣 (tī)
- Thai: ที่ (tîi)
- Northern Thai: ᨴᩦ᩵
- Lao: ທີ່ (thī)
- Lü: ᦑᦲᧈ (tii¹)
- Khün: ᨴᩦ᩵
- Shan: တီႈ (tīi)
- Tai Dón: ꪕꪲꫀ
- Tai Nüa: ᥖᥤ (ti)
- ^ Pittayaporn, Pittayawat (2009) The Phonology of Proto-Tai (Doctoral dissertation)[1], Department of Linguistics, Cornell University, page 367