Where does “babaylan” come from?

babaylan (Tagalog) comes from Cebuano babaylan, from Cebuano babaye, from Proto-Austronesian ba-bahi, from Proto-Austronesian bahi — female, woman.

babaylan (Tagalog): Priestess; woman leader

Definitions

  1. Priestess; woman leader

Ancestry of “babaylan”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Cebuanobabaylanin pre-colonial Cebu; a woman, sometimes an...
2Cebuanobabayea female; a girl, a lady or a woman; feminine,...
3Proto-Austronesianba-bahiwoman; female
4Proto-Austronesianbahifemale, woman
Every word from Proto-Austronesian bahi →Every word from Proto-Austronesian ba-bahi →Every word from Cebuano babaye →