Where does “ilang” come from?

ilang (Tagalog) comes from Tagalog ilan, from Proto-Philippine *pijah, from Proto-Austronesian *pijax — how many.

ilang (Tagalog): desert; wilderness; waste

Definitions

  1. desert; wilderness; waste

Ancestry of “ilang”, step by step

ilang traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Tagalog ilan

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Tagalogilanhow many
2Proto-Philippine*pijah—
3Proto-Austronesian*pijaxhow many

via Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qəlaŋ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Malayo-Polynesian*qəlaŋ—

Words derived from “ilang”

Every word from Proto-Austronesian *pijax →Every word from Proto-Philippine *pijah →Every word from Tagalog ilan →