Etymology Explorer › Tagalog

Where does “babae” come from?

babae (Tagalog) comes from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian ba-bahi, from Proto-Austronesian ba-bahi, from Proto-Austronesian bahi — female, woman.

babae (Tagalog): woman; girl; female; mistress; concubine

Definitions

  1. woman; girl; female; mistress; concubine

Ancestry of “babae”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Malayo-Polynesianba-bahi—
2Proto-Austronesianba-bahiwoman; female
3Proto-Austronesianbahifemale, woman

Words derived from “babae”

  • babaihin
  • mambabae
  • babaero
Every word from Proto-Austronesian bahi →