Where does “mag-usap” come from?

mag-usap (Bikol Central) comes from Bikol Central usap, from Tagalog usap, from Malay ucap — to say, to announce; to announce; to say.

Ancestry of “mag-usap”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Bikol Centralusap—
2Tagalogusapconversation; conference; meeting; court case
3Malayucapto say, to announce; to announce; to say
Every word from Malay ucap →Every word from Tagalog usap →Every word from Bikol Central usap →