Where does “makasawa” come from?

makasawa (Bikol Central) comes from Bikol Central sawa, from Proto-Philippine sawa, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian sawa.

Ancestry of “makasawa”, step by step

makasawa traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Bikol Central sawa

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Bikol Centralsawapython; boa constrictor
2Proto-Philippinesawa
3Proto-Malayo-Polynesiansawa

via Bikol Central maka

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Bikol Centralmaka
Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian sawa