These Precolonial Filipino Words Recorded by Pigafetta Are Still Used Today

March 14, 2021

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By Mario Alvaro Limos, Esquire Philippines

Five hundred years ago, Antonio Pigafetta preserved snapshots of the lives and culture of the precolonial Filipinos. Pigafetta was an Italian scholar and explorer who chronicled the first circumnavigation of the world led by Ferdinand Magellan.

The voyage was so significant because, finally, it proved the world was not flat and suggested that maybe, the Earth wasn’t the center of the universe, after all.

But it also led to other misconceptions: Filipinos are heathens who played a violin with copper strings. At least that’s what Pigafetta wrote.

After the death of Magellan at Mactan, Pigafetta had some time to record the words used by the locals from Cebu. The prolific chronicler also described the island:

In that island are found dogs, cats, rice, millet, panicum, sorgo, ginger, figs (bananas), oranges, lemons, sugarcane, garlic, honey, cocoanuts, nangcas, gourds, flesh of many kinds, palm wine, and gold.

It is a large island, and has a good port with two entrances—one to the west and the other to the east northeast. It lies in x degrees of latitude toward the Arctic Pole, and in a longitude of one hundred and sixty-four degrees from the line of demarcation. Its name is Zubu (Cebu). We heard of Malucho there before the death of the captain-general. Those people play a violin with copper strings.

In his observations, he noted that precolonial Filipinos knew how to count. He also noted that the locals were sophisticated enough to comb their hair (they had a tool for that), and that they had actual words for the different parts of their body.

Interestingly, most of these precolonial Filipino words recorded by Pigafetta are still in use today.

In his book, Primo viaggio intorno al mondo, (First Voyage Around the World), he takes care to record as many Filipino words as he can. Disparagingly, or perhaps because of his Eurocentric sense of superiority, he wrote:

“Vocabuli de questi populi gentili.” Which is loosely translated as, “Words of those heathen people.”

The following are the Visayan words Pigafetta transcribed 500 years ago, most of which are still used today.

for man: lac

for woman: paranpaon

for young woman: beni beni

for married woman: babay

for Hair: boho

for face: guay

for eyelids: pilac

for eyebrows: chilei

for eye: matta

for nose: ilon

for jaws: apin

for lips: olol

for mouth: baba

for teeth: nipin

for gums: leghex

for tongue: dilla

for ears: delengan

for throat: liogh

for neck: tangip

for chin: queilan

for beard: bonghot

for shoulders: bagha

for spine: licud

for breast: dughan

for body: tiam

For armpit: ilot

for arm: botchen

for elbow: sico

for pulse: molanghai

for hand: camat

for the palm of the hand: palan

for finger: dudlo

for fingernail: coco

for navel: pusut

for penis: utin

for testicles: boto

for vagina: billat

for to have communication with women: jiam

for buttocks: samput

for thigh: paha

for knee: tuhud

for shin: bassag bassag

for calf of the leg: bitis

for ankle: bolbol

for heel: tiochid

for sole of the foot: lapa lapa

for gold: balaoan

for silver: pilla

for brass: concach

for iron: butan

for sugarcane: tube

for spoon: gandan

for rice: bughax baras

for honey: deghex

for wax: talho

for salt: acin

for wine: tuba, nio, nipa

for to drink: minuncubil

for to eat: macan

for hog: babui

for goat: candin

for chicken: monoch

for millet: humas

for sorgo: batat

for panicum: dana

for pepper: manissa

for cloves: chianche

for cinnamon: mana

for ginger: luia

for garlic: laxuna

for oranges: acsua

for egg: silog

for cocoanut: lubi

for vinegar: zlucha

for water: tubin

for fire: clayo

for smoke: assu

for to blow: tigban

for balances: tinban

for weight: tahil

for pearl: mutiara

for mother of pearl: tipay

for pipe [a musical instrument]: sub in

for disease of St. Job: alupalan

bring me: palatin comorica

for certain rice cakes: tinapai

good: main

no: tidale

for knife: capol, sundan

for scissors: catle

to shave: chunthinch

for a well-adorned man: pixao

for linen: balandan

for the cloth with which they cover themselves: abaca

for hawk’s bell: coloncolon

for pater nosters of all classes: tacle

for comb: cutlei, missamis

for to comb: monssughud

for shirt: abun

for sewing-needle: daghu

for to sew: mamis

for porcelain: mobuluc

for dog: aian, ydo

for cat: epos

for their scarfs: gapas

for glass beads: balus

come here: marica

for house: ilaga, balai

for timber: tatamue

for the mats on which they sleep: tagichan

for palm-mats: bani

for their leaf cushions: uliman

for Wooden platters: dulan

for their god: Abba

for sun: adlo

for moon: songhot

for star: bolan, bunthun

for dawn: mene

for morning: uema

for cup: tagha

large: bassal

for bow: bossugh

for arrow: oghon

for shields: calassan

for quilted garments used for fighting: baluti

for their daggers: calix, baladao

for their cutlasses: campilan

for spear: bancan

for like: tuan

for figs [i.e., bananas]: saghin

for gourds: baghin

for the cords of their violins: gotzap

for river: tau

for Fishing-net: pucat, laia

for small boat : ampan

for large canes: cauaghan

for the small ones: bonbon

for their large Boats: balanghai

for their small Boats: boloto

for crabs: cuban

for fish: icam, yssida

for a fish that is all colored panapsapan for another red [fish]: timuan

for a certain other [kind of fish]: pilax

for another [kind of fish]: emaluan

all the same: siama siama

for a slave: bonsul

for gallows: bolle

for ship: benaoa

for a king or captain-general: raia

Numbers

one: uzza

two: dua

three: tolo

four: upat

five: lima

six: onom

seven: pitto

eight: gualu

nine: ciam

ten: polo