Where does “boba” come from?
boba (Tagalog) comes from Spanish boba, from English boba, from Chinese 波霸, from Cantonese 波霸, from Cantonese 波, from English Ball, from Middle English bal, from Old English beall — to rise, to be tall; hill.
boba (Tagalog): stupid; dumb
Definitions
- stupid; dumb
Ancestry of “boba”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spanish | boba | feminine singular of bobo |
| 2 | English | boba | Synonym of tapioca pearl; Short for boba tea |
| 3 | Chinese | 波霸 | busty woman; huge-breasted girl; large tapioca... |
| 4 | Cantonese | 波霸 | breast, tapioca pearl |
| 5 | Cantonese | 波 | — |
| 6 | English | Ball | surname |
| 7 | Middle English | bal | A ball; A rounded or spherical lump or bump,... |
| 8 | Old English | beall | ball |
| 9 | English | beal | A small inflammatory tumor; pustule; To gather... |
| 10 | Old English | hyll | hill |
| 11 | Albanian | hulli | furrow |
| 12 | Proto-Germanic | hulliz | hill |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | kl̥Hnís | hill |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | kelH- | to rise, to be tall; hill |