Where does “baybayen” come from?

baybayen (Kankanaey) comes from Kankanaey baybay, from Proto-Philippine *baybáy.

baybayen (Kankanaey): to level the ground to make a rice field

Definitions

  1. to level the ground to make a rice field

Ancestry of “baybayen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Kankanaeybaybaysea, ocean
2Proto-Philippine*baybáy—
Every word from Proto-Philippine *baybáy →Every word from Kankanaey baybay →