BUGAW
There are two separate definitions for this word — one as a noun, the other as a verb. bú·gaw, n a pimp, a go-between Kasama ng búgaw ang kanyang mga alaga. The pimp is with his pets (women under his...
View ArticleTAG-INIT
root word: ínit (meaning: heat) tag-i·nít tag-inít“hot season” tag-inítsummer The “summer” months in the Philippines are roughly from February to May. In contrast, summer in the United States is in...
View ArticleALPABETO
This word is from the Spanish alfabéto. al·pa·bé·toalphabet Ang modernong alpabetong Filipino ay binubuo ng dalawampu’t-walong (28) letra. The modern Filipino alphabet is made up of twenty-eight (28)...
View ArticleSAMSAM
samsám: confiscation, seizure KAHULUGAN SA TAGALOG pagsamsám: sapilitang pagkuha ng mga ari-arian ng ibang tao ang ari-ariang nasamsam sinasamsam, nasasamsam, sinamsam para masamsam ang mga armas o...
View ArticleTATAK
ta·ták tatak stamp, seal tatak brand (on animals) tatak ng daliri “stamp of finger” tatak-daliri fingerprint (just use the English) tatak-koreo postmark tatak Pilipino Filipino brand = the mark of a...
View ArticlePASIMADA
This is a made-up Tagalog word for “toothpaste,” which does not have an actual equivalent in the local language. Most Filipinos simply use the English word “toothpaste” although Filipino pronunciation...
View ArticlePADALA
root word: dalá padala something sent tagapadala sender padalhan to send to someone Ipadala mo ito sa kanila. Send this to them. Paano ko ipapadala ito? How will I send this? Ano ang ipapadala ko? What...
View ArticleMARKA
This word is from the Spanish marca. marká mark marká grade ang mga markang nakuha nila sa mga pagsusulit the marks they got in the tests ang mga markang nakuha ko sa katapusan ng semestre the grades I...
View ArticleDAYAPER
This is a transliteration into Tagalog of the English word. dá·ya·pér dáyapérdisposable diaper The brand Pampers has been so popular in the Philippines that it is common to refer to any brand of...
View ArticlePAGKIT
PAG·KÍT 1. beeswax 2. floor wax 3. adhesive substance 4. any substance with a sticky texture pagkit ng ngipin = toothpaste BEESWAX is is a natural wax produced by honey bees. It is widely used as a...
View ArticleERENSIYA
This word is from the Spanish herencia. e·ren·si·yá erensiyáinheritance erensiyáheredity KAHULUGAN SA TAGALOG erensiyá: mána MGA KAHULUGAN SA TAGALOG mána: anumang isinasalin o ibinibigay ng magulang...
View ArticleLAMPIN
lam·pín lampin diaper nilampinan ang bata “diapered” the child Nilampinan ko ang sanggol. I put a diaper on the infant. Many Filipinos now use the brand name “Pampers” in a generic sense. Kailangan...
View ArticleALANG-ALANG
á·lang-á·lang álang-álangregard, consideration isaalang-alangto take into consideration isaalang-alang mulito reconsider isinaalang-alang ang mga pangkalahatang layunin ng bansa took into consideration...
View ArticleKAIGA-IGAYA
root word: igaya kaigayahan delight, charm maigaya to be attracted, induced kaiga-igaya delightful kaiga-igayang tingnan a delight to look at pagkaigaya MGA KAHULUGAN SA TAGALOG igáya: lugód (kasiyahan...
View ArticleSONETO
Ano ang Soneto? soneto sonnet (poem of 14 lines) Ito’y tulang liriko na binubuo ng labing-apat (14) na taludturan na hinggil sa damdamin at kaisipan. Ito’y nakikilala sa matinding kaisahan ng sukat...
View ArticleINTERNET
This word is from the English language. ín·ter·nét Internet Below are a few internet-related words that were coined in order for there to be equivalents to foreign technical terms. Filipinos rarely use...
View ArticlePOOK-SAPOT
This is a neologism (newly coined term) made by those who insist that there be a “native” Tagalog translation for every English word. It is sometimes misspelled without a hyphen, like pooksapot. Most...
View ArticleKATERPILAR
This is a transliteration into Filipino of the English word. ká·ter·pí·lar katerpilar caterpillar The Tagalog word for ‘caterpillar’ is higad, which often refers to the hairy species Euproctis...
View ArticleUOD
ulay, uhod uod any worm-like creature mga uod wormy creatures inuod to be infested with worms Inuod ang halaman. The plant was blighted by worm-like creatures. (likely caterpillars or larvae) The...
View ArticleLARBA
This is a transliteration into Tagalog of the English word. lár·ba larbalárva A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. The plural form of this English...
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