Where does “pagkasawa” come from?

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

Ancestry of “pagkasawa”, step by step

pagkasawa traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Bikol Central sawa

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

via Tagalog pagka

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Tagalogpagkaif
2Tagalogpagkamakabagunsakupinneocolonialism
Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian sawa →Every word from Proto-Philippine sawa →Every word from Bikol Central sawa →