Etymology Explorer › Tagalog

Where does “mambabae” come from?

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

mambabae (Tagalog): to court a girl; to fool around with women; to...

Definitions

  1. to court a girl; to fool around with women; to...

Ancestry of “mambabae”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Tagalogbabaewoman; girl; female; mistress; concubine
2Proto-Malayo-Polynesianba-bahi—
3Proto-Austronesianba-bahiwoman; female
4Proto-Austronesianbahifemale, woman
Every word from Proto-Austronesian bahi →