GLOSSARY

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A

abaca - fiber obtained from the leaf stalk of a variety of  banana (Musa textilis); Manila hemp

abogado - lawyer

abuluy-abuluyan - potluck party held on the day of the first partitioning of the palay harvest

accesoria - one in a row of apartments

achuete - seeds of the annato tree, used for food coloring

adobo - dish, usually of pork or chicken, cooked in vinegar and soy sauce with spices, the recipe varying widely from region to region

ajunjo - bitter, aromatic shrub used in preparation of vermouth and for medicinal purposes

alamang - species of very small shrimp

albahaca - basil

alcancia - container for saving coins usually a bamboo tube or a hollowed coconut shell; ‘piggy bank’

aligacion -  proving (in Geometry)

anahaw - type of palm whose leaves are made into fans, baskets, and hats (Livistoria roundifolia)

animas - evening prayers, especially for the deceased

anisado - anise-flavored wine

Angelus - daily evening prayer recited at 6:00 p.m.

ansad - low bamboo fencing used in rivers for trapping fish

antesala - or caida, a small room leading to the sala

antipolo - a hardwood tree

aparador - armoire

arado - plow

arengue - herring

argamasa - mortar

arroz a la valenciana - dish of rice with shredded chicken meat, Spanish sausages, potatoes, olives, and seasonings

arroz caldo - rice gruel with portions of meat or chicken

asado de carajay - dish of chicken cooked in vinegar and  seasonings  till dry, then simmered in water

asalto - surprise party

aswang - in folklore, an evil creature that can assume many forms

asulejos - glazed blue tiles

Ave Maria Purisima - Hail Mary, Most Pure

azar/azahar - orange blossom

azotea - balcony with access to water closets

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B

bachuy - soup made with pork liver and kidney; the recipe in some regions includes pig brain and blood

bagoong - a paste of small fish or shrimps that have been salted and fermented

baguin - vines

baguin-baling-uway - vines, particularly rattan (Flagellaria indica)

balaong - large bamboo basket for storing rice or corn

balanggot - straw hat made of rattan reed

balete - large, sturdy tree subject of superstitious and religious belief  (Ficus indica)

balubad - cashew (Anacardium occcidentale)

baluyut - giant circular containers several meters in height, used for storing palay

banaba - tree with delicate lavender flowers, cultivated for its durable reddish timber (Lagerstroemia speciosa)

banca -small boat, usually without riggers

bancal - tree cultivated for its soft yellow/orange wood (Nauclea orientalis)

Banco de las Islas Filipinas - Bank of the Philippine Islands

banguera - wooden ledge jutting from a window, used for storing water jugs or for stacking dishes and utensils for drying  

batalan - area for washing, with slatted bamboo flooring, extending from the kitchen

Batallion Banahaw/Batallion Tayabanse – rebel groups in the Tayabas region

Batangueños - from the province of Batangas

batel - small sailboat

bibingka - rice cake cooked with fire over and below it, usually with salted eggs and topped with sugar

bicoca - trifle, nonsense

biko - sweetened rice cake topped with a layer of  sweetened coconut

bilao - flat circular basket made of split bamboo                    

binagoongan - pork cooked with bagoong

binhi - seed

Binondo - the wealthy, commercial capital of Old Manila

bizcocho - crisp toasted biscuits

Boanerges – “sons of thunder”; name given by Christ to James and John, the sons of Zebedee (Mark 3:17).
               John is often referred to as the “apostle of love”.

bodega - warehouse, storeroom

bolo - long, single-edged heavy knife; machete

braza - unit of measure equivalent to one fathom or six feet

bulto - sack

buntal - fibre yielded by the petioles of buri, used for making roofs, mats, bags

bunga - betel palm and its fruit (Areca catechu) (also icmo/ikmo, mam-in, nganga)

buri - largest species of erect palm, used for the production of wine, alcohol,  vinegar, syrups, sugar. It is starchy and the kernel of its                  young fruit is made into sweets, its bud is into salads, its leaves into mats, hats, housing materials. (Corypha elata)

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C

cabecera - capital city or town

Cabesa - head or chief of village or barrio

cabisi - head or boss in a Chinese store

Cabo - corporal

cabonegro - species of the sago palm which produces a tough black fibre (Borassus gomutus)

cacao - chocolate; chocolate tree                              

caida – antesala; foyer room at the top of the stairs leading to a sala

calabasa - squash

calamansi - citrus tree bearing small dark green acidic fruit used for juice or flavoring; calamondin orange

calesa/calesin - one-horse, two-wheeled high carriage, seats two

calmot  - harrow (also suyod, rastrillo, rastro)

camarin/camarin grande - granary

camias - tree bearing small, elongated, edible yellow-green acidic fruit used in native stew and for preserves (Averrhoa bijimbi)

camisa -  shirt worn untucked by the well-to-do male; also thin outer, upper garment for women worn with a chemise

camisa de chino/china - shirt with closed neck, no collar or lapels, worn as an outer garment by men

camison – chemise; slip worn as an inner garment by women

canga - carabao-drawn sled of wooden boards mounted on a runner (also paragos)

cantina - lunchroom, barroom

canton - fabric with fine crinkled texture, similar to crepe de Chine

cañuto - small bamboo tube

capiya - long wooden bench, similar to a church pew

capiz - white translucent mollusk shell used for small window panes

carabao - native water buffalo

Caramba! - Good heavens! /  Golly!

carburo - carbide

carinderia - restaurant that serves ready-made food displayed in pots from which the customers select                 

carretela – horse-drawn vehicle, usually used by lower classes

carreton - carabao-drawn cart or wagon, more for goods than people

carromata - one-pony, two-wheeled boxed carriage, with two small benches that seat 2 to 4 people,
               with slatted wood sidings, higher in status than a calesa (in Spanish, carromato)

carroza - open coach or platform in which holy statues are carried during processions

carruaje - carriage, usually for town use by upper middle class

cartilla - primer, speller, notebook

casco - long river boat for hauling cargo, pushed along by long poles

caton - primer

caturay - tree with tasty flowers (Sesbania grandiflora)

cavan - Philippine unit of measure equal to 75 liters or 25 gantas

cavanes dobles - measure of palay, equal to two cavans. One cavan doble of palay (unhusked rice) is needed

                to produce one cavan of milled rice.

centimo - unit of money

cerrin/serrin -  sawdust

cerveza negra  - dark beer

choretas - containers used for storing molasses

cimborio - cockfighting galleries

cochero  - coachman

cocido - Spanish stew of meats, sausages, vegetables and chick peas

cogon - a tall grass used for thatching that burns quick and short (Imperata exaltata)

colegio de primero y segundo enseñanza – college with first and second year of studies

Colorum - cults that grew in prominence in Tayabas during the 1880’s and played a significant role in the revolution;

               remnants of  Hermano Pule’s Confradia de San Jose that retreated to the mountains between Tayabas and Laguna,

               the name derived  from ‘et saecula saeculorum’             

compadre - term of relationship between a godfather and the godchild’s father/parents

concha/calesa concha - open horse-drawn carriage, with a special seat for  the coachman

condol -   sweet preserved gourd melon (Benincasa hispida)

corrido - romantic epic poem; metrical romance based on European legends or adventures of kings and queens, with moral lessons

cuartel -  quarters, barracks

cuarto - smallest monetary unit in use (half a real = 6 cuartos); one quarter

cuchinta - gelatinous native cake made from rice flour

culatay - variety of small bamboo

 

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D

daing - fish that is salted and sun-dried

dalag - mudfish (Ophicephalus striatus)

dalungyan - fruit similar to jackfruit

damajuana - demijohn, large bottle

danza Madrileña  - dance in quick-time

Del decho al hecho hay largo trecho.  - From word to act is a long stretch.

despedida de soltera - ‘farewell’ party given by the bride’s family before her wedding day

dinuguan - a dish made with pig’s or cow’s blood

dinulang - large porcelain plate, usually of Chinese make

diwata - elemental, nymph, fairy

Don - Sir, Spanish title denoting an upper class status

Doña - Madame, Spanish title denoting an upper class status

duluhan - rice of inferior quality, usually the remaining palay after the partitioning of a  harvest

dumali - fine quality rice

duro - monetary unit , worth five pesetas

duso - medicinal plant with broad leaves; antidote to snakes

dwende - in folklore, dwarf, hobgoblin, elf

 

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E

embutido – sausage; seasoned ground meat, wrapped like a sausage

encargada - guardian

entresuelo - mezzanine

Escolta - commercial street where business offices and stores where the well-to-do shopped

esperma - candles

espumilla - voile

estofado - a kind of stew usually of ox tongue

 

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F

Familia Herrera - the Herrera family

fandango - dance characterized by lively steps and clapping in ¾ time

fanega - unit of dry measure equal to 1.58 bushels, also refers to the measuring container

fiembrera - portable food container made of steel, and with small compartments stacked one on top of the other

Fonatecina - medicinal drink

 

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G

galletas - hard biscuits

ginoong - sir, mister

gobernadorcillo - petty governor; town mayor; highest position open to Filipinos in civil government

gollorias - crunchy sugared confection of flour, egg and milk (Spanish golleria)

gorgoreta - native earthenware pitcher that keeps water cool

Gracias - Thank you.

Guardia Civil/Civiles - Spanish civil guards that maintained peace and order in towns and roads

guinatan - dish made with coconut milk

gumamela - hibiscus

 

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H

Hermana/Hermano Mayor - main sponsors for the May procession

hermanita/hermanito - secondary sponsors for the May procession

hija - daughter

humabalao - a hardwood tree

hurto - petty thievery

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I

Ibong Adarna - corrido that tells the story of three princes of the Kingdom of Berbanya and how they go in search

                of a magical singing bird to heal their father, the King

icmo/ikmo - climbing vine whose leaves are used for wrapping  betel nuts for chewing (see bunga, nganga)

Ilocano - from the province of Ilocos    

Indio - pejorative term used by the Spaniards in reference to the natives

insurrectos - insurgents, rebels

Intendencia - mayoralty, administrative building

Intramuros - the Walled City of Old Manila; the main district enclosed by thick walls and a moat ("inside walls")

                where the government offices and homes of the rich were located.

ipa - chaff of rice grains before it is milled.  After it is milled the chaff is called darak.

 

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J

jabali/javalies - wild boar

jota Aragoneza - national dance of Aragon; a quick dance in 3/8 time

juego de anillo - game wherein  the players on horseback attempt to shoot a bamboo stick through a suspended ring

jusi - fine sheer woven fabric made from vegetable fibers

 

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K

Ka - term of address prefixed to the first name of elders, distant elder relations, or superiors

kaing - basket of woven bamboo with a wide mouth and handles used for fruit, also used as a measure of fruit

kakawati - also known as madre cacao, with delicate pinkish flowers, cultivated for lumber and firewood, used to shade cacao trees

kalachuchi - frangipani, tree bearing waxy flowers (Plumeria genus with numerous species)

kalamay - sweet made from rice flour or cassava flour, cooked with   coconut milk and sugar

kalamay-hati - sweet made from coconut milk and sugar (also called matamis na bao)                                             

kalatong - bamboo gong whose sound carries across fields and plantations, used as an alarm or to call for help, or as a signal

kanga/canga - (see canga / paragos)

kare-kare - stew of oxtail, tripe and vegetables with a peanut sauce

Katipunan - shortened term for Kataas-taasan Kagalang-galang na Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (Highest and Most                                   Respectable Association of the Sons of the People/Country); a secret revolutionary brotherhood in the late 1800s

Katipunero - revolutionary; a member of the Katipunan

kilawin - meat or fish soaked in vinegar and eaten half-cooked or raw

kulantro - cilantro

kuminoy - quicksand

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L

labuyo -   wild chicken

lagarto - lizard

Laguna cheese - native white cheese made from carabao’s milk

lambanog - fermented drink from coconut sap

lanete - type of wood

lanzones - small. meaty, sappy fruit with thick skin, growing on trees in grape-like bunches

latoc - low table

leche flan - milk custard usually in caramelized syrup

lechon -  whole suckling pig roasted over live coals

Lola/Lolo - grandmother/grandfather

luksong tinik - children’s game of jumping (lukso) over  “a thorny wall”  (tinik), which are made by two children

                spreading their fingers and placing them one on top of the other, increasing the height of the “wall”

lulay - originally part of a wedding dance, where the gentleman dances around the lady until finally she gives in and dances with him

lumbang - tree with fruits that are used to produce oil and dyes for paint and varnish (Aleurites moluccaria)

 

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M

Madre Preceptera - Mother Prefect

Maestra/Maestro - teacher (female/male)

malagkit - glutinous rice; ‘sticky’ rice

Malaking Ilog - Big River

Maligayang Bati, po! - Greetings; Happy Birthday

maluto -  cooked rice wrapped in banana leaves, prepared for later consumption, for example, for travel or picnics

mameluco - one-piece play outfit for a young girl; coveralls

mam-in - betel nut leaves used for wrapping chewing tobacco

mansanilla - chamomile; herb used infusions to relieve coughs and  sleeplessness (Chrysanthemum indiam)

maruya  - fritter made of fruit dipped in flour and deep-fried in oil

maya - rice birds of the genus munis

mayuhan - palay planted in the month of May and harvested in October

media noche - midnight, refers to Christmas eve, or the meal eaten after midnight on Christmas eve.

               (also used alternatively with noche buena)

mediquillo - one who practices medicine without yet having obtained a license (some sources define a mediquillo as a ‘quack’)

merienda - snack in between meals, usually in mid-afternoon

merienda-cena - a late merienda that also serves as a light dinner

mestizo/mestiza - of mixed blood (m/f)

mga kapanalig - trusted ones

molave - a yellowish to reddish hardwood of the family Verbenaceae

monaguillo - altar boy, acolyte

mongo - mung beans

morisqueta tostada – rice fried with garlic till crispy

muelle - dock, wharf, pier

Muy buenas noches tenga usted. - A good evening to you all.

 

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N

nainsook - soft light Indian cotton with woven stripes

Nanay - Mother

narra - hardwood tree (Pterocarpus indicus); Philippine mahogany

Nene - term of address to a female child

nipa - a palm tree, fiber used for thatching of native houses (Nipa fruticans)

nito - fern or forest vine used for baskets, mats, hats; (Lygodium circinnatum)

nganga - chewing tobacco made from the betel nut tree (see bunga, icmo/ikmo, mam-in)

No hay mal que por bien no venga. - None so bad that good cannot come of it.

Noli Me Tangere - novel by Dr. Jose P. Rizal, “The Social Cancer”

novena - prayers said for nine consecutive days for a particular intention

nuno sa punso - in folklore, an old man, dwarf, or goblin that lives in a mound

 

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O

obolo - allowance, honorarium

 

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P

paciencias - small round sweet cookies made of egg white and sugar

pacsiw - a stew cooked in vinegar

Padre - Father (priest)

padrino - godfather

Paete - town in Laguna known for wood carving

pahiyas - decoration hung on houses during post-harvest feasting

pajo - a variety of tiny tart mangoes, eaten while green and sour

palagad - palay planted in October and harvested in March

palasan   - a species of  thick rattan used for making furniture and canes (Calamus merrillii)

palay - unhusked rice

palotes - penmanship exercises, script strokes

pamahiin -  superstitious beliefs

pancit guisado - dry noodle dish, usually of miki noodles, with sauteed ingredients

pancit langlang - noodle soup dish, of  two or three mixed thin noodles with boiled vegetables and sometimes, shrimp

pancit luglug - a rice-noodle dish, usually bijon, with a red pasty shrimp sauce

pandakaki – bush with tiny white star-shaped flower (Ervatamia pandacaqui)

pan de sal - bread buns

panganan - delicacy made from coconut

pangguinge - gambling game that uses Spanish cards

panocha - solidified brown sugar, sometimes embedded with whole peanuts

pañuelo - kerchief or cloth folded in a triangle and worn like a collar by women

paragos - carabao-drawn sled of wooden boards mounted on a runner (also canga)

pastel - meat pie usually of chicken or pork with potatoes and carrots

pastillas - tiny sweets usually made of milk (de leche), and individually wrapped

patadiong - native dress

patis - fish or shrimp sauce

perezosa - reclining chair

pescante - running board of a calesa

peso - monetary unit equal to 8 reales

picul - a measure of weight, equivalent to 75 kilograms

piedra china - large slabs of stone, usually cut into squares for flooring

piña - sheer fabric woven from unspun pineapple fiber

pinipig - rice that is lightly toasted and pounded

pinitumpu - type of rice

pisaw - small bolo used for cutting bamboo cane

porsigui/porsegui - a rice of inferior quality

practicant - trainee

practicum - training period

provinciano - people from the provinces

puchero - a stew of meats, sausages, and vegetables

pungapung - a tall plant with smelly red flowers, found in the wild (Amorphophallus companulatus)

puto - any of a variety of rice cakes

puto blanco - white cake made from rice flour

puto bumbong - rice cake made from violet-colored rice, steamed in small bamboo tubes

putomaya - rice cake made from malagkit cooked with coconut milk and sugar

puto seco - dry biscuits made from rice starch

 

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Q

quiles - small, square, two-wheeled carriage

 

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R

ranchero - rancher

rastro - rake, harrow (also suyod, calmot, rastrillo)

rastrillo - hackle, harrow       

real - monetary unit equivalent to a quarter of a peseta

rebosado - food, especially shrimps or fish, dipped in batter before cooking

Reina de las Flores - Queen of Flowers during the Maytime festival

relicario - locket

rengue - stiff, coarse variety of piña fabric usually used for sleeves

remora - an herb

reverbero de casa - house lamp

rigodon - lively jumping quickstep for two couples

Romana espada - brand of weighing scale

 

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S

sabutan - species of screwpine (pandan) whose dried leaves are used for hats and mats (Pandamus sabotan)

sacristan mayor - head sacristan or sexton

sago - dry powdered starch made from the sago palm; tiny white seeds from the sago palm used in making sweets

saha - banana stalk, halved and hollowed, used in lieu of plates

sala/salon - hall, drawing room for receiving guests

salabat - warm drink made from ginger root

salacot - native wide-brimmed hat woven from cane or straw

sampaloc - tamarind

santol - round meaty fruit with large seeds (Sandoricum koetjape)

Sargento - sergeant

sari-sari store - small neighborhood store selling a variety of goods

sassafra - saffron

sawali - woven strips of split bamboo used for walls, fencing or containers

sawing - straw hat

Semi-Resecada - partly dry

Señor - Sir, Mister, lord, master, owner

Señora - Madame, Mistress, Missus, owner, wife

Señores - Misters, Mr. & Mrs.

Señorita - Miss

siclot/siklot - children’s game in which small objects, such as stones or  shells are thrown up and

                caught alternately by the palm and the back of the hand

sinigang - a broth of rice-washing,  flavored with sour tamarind or camias (na hipon – of shrimps)

Sin Pecado Concebida – conceived without sin

sinucmani - dessert similar to biko but without the sweet coconut topping

sipin - fiber from the betel nut plant used for cleaning teeth

sisiwa - wet nurse

somaten, somatones - police

sota/zota - groom, man in charge of horses                                               

subli – derived from the words subsob (stooped) and bali (broken), the men dance stooped around women who dance with hats

suman - delicacy made of sticky rice, wrapped in banana leaves and   steamed

suman sa lehiya/legia - suman cooked with wood ash lye

sungka/sungca - game using a long wooden board with hollows in which the players take turns distributing

               and collecting little shells or stones until one player runs out of stones/shells.

suyod - harrow (same as rastro, rastrillo, kalmot)

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T

taines - elongated woven baskets

tablia/tablea - chocolate tablets

tabo - dipper for scooping water

Tagala - woman from the Tagalog region

talilong - mullet

talulo - species of rattan

tamales - delicacy made of rice with minced meat, Spanish sausages, chestnuts, and dipped in oil

                wrapped in banana leaves and steamed

tampipi - native trunk of chest of bamboo, rattan or palm, used for packing clothes or other dry goods

tampuy - plum-like fruit

tapa - sliced dried meat

tapahan - copra oven

tapong - solidified salt

Tayabanse – from the province or town of Tayabas

tercerola/tercerora - firearm

Tia/Tio - Spanish term for aunt/uncle

tienda - store

tinapa - smoked fish

tibig - type of hardwood

tikbalang - elemental, supernatural forest creature, usually ugly with fiery eyes and half-man, half-horse

tikoy - Chinese cake, usually given during Chinese new year or other important celebrations.

               The cake is cut into strips and deep-fried.

tortas - ensaimada, sweet buns

Trisagio - devotional prayer usually dedicated to the Holy Trinity (Trisagio a la Santisima Trinidad) comprised

                of one Our Father, three Hail Marys, one Glory Be, repeated three times

tuba - non-alcoholic drink  made from the sap of the coconut palm, when fermented this becomes lambanog

tubo - sweet bulb that grows within a coconut, found in fully ripe nuts.  The tubo is what will grow

               into the seedling, if allowed.  It is usually removed before copra-making and is a delicacy.

tulisan - highway robber, bandit

turron/turrones - nougat

 

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U

ube - violet colored yam made into jam

ukuy - crunchy patties made of tiny shrimps in flour

uway - species of rattan usually used for making chairs or beds

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V

victoria - enclosed carriage used in towns by upper class usually for special events

 

W

X

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Y

yaya - nursemaid, caretaker for a child

yerbabuena/hierbabuena - mint

ylang-ylang - fragrant yellow-green flower of the ylang-ylang tree (Cananga odorata/ Canangium odoratum)

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Z

zacatal - field where zacate is grown

zacate - grass grown for feeding horses, hay, fodder (Russelia junccum)

zagala - handmaiden in the Maytime procession

zaguan/saguan - vestibule, entry hall

zota/sota - groom, man in charge of horses