Where does “South Cotabato” come from?

South Cotabato (English) comes from English Cotabato, from Spanish Cotabato, from Maguindanao Kutawatu, from Maguindanao watu, from Proto-Philippine *batu, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian batu, from Proto-Austronesian *batux — rock; stone.

Ancestry of “South Cotabato”, step by step

South Cotabato traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Cotabato

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishCotabato—
2SpanishCotabato—
3MaguindanaoKutawatu—
4Maguindanaowatustone; rock
5Proto-Philippine*batustone substance; small piece of stone
6Proto-Malayo-Polynesianbatustone
7Proto-Austronesian*batuxrock; stone

via English South

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishSouthAny of various particular regions named for the cardinal direction in which they lie
2Middle Englishsouthsouth, southernness; A location to the south; the...

Words derived from “South Cotabato”

Every word from Proto-Austronesian *batux →Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian batu →Every word from Proto-Philippine *batu →
South Cotabato — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer