Where does “bola-bola” come from?

bola-bola (Cebuano) comes from Cebuano bola, from Spanish bola, from Provençal bola, from Latin bulla, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl-.

bola-bola (Cebuano): meatball; a small sphere; to bounce as if using...

Definitions

  1. meatball; a small sphere; to bounce as if using...

Ancestry of “bola-bola”, step by step

bola-bola traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Cebuano bola

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Cebuanobolaball, sphere
2Spanishbolaball; hitchhiking, free ride; testicle
3Provençalbola
4Latinbullaa bubble; a swollen or bubble-shaped object,...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-

via Tagalog bola

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Tagalogbolaa ball, sphere, or any round object; to flatter;...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl-Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-Every word from Latin bulla