bilanggo

Cebuano

Etymology

Uncertain. Either from Proto-Bisayan *bilaŋgu, or borrowed from Tamil விலங்கு (vilaṅku, “animal; fetters; shackles; manacles”)(Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /biˈlaŋɡoʔ/ [bɪˈl̪aŋ.ɡoʔ]
• Hyphenation: bi‧lang‧go

Verb

bilanggò (Badlit spelling ᜊᜒᜎᜅ᜔ᜄᜓ)

1. to imprison; to jail

Noun

bilanggò (Badlit spelling ᜊᜒᜎᜅ᜔ᜄᜓ)

1. (historical) sheriff; constable

Derived terms

• bilanggoan (“prison”)
• bilanggotanan (“lockdown”)
• binilanggo (“prisoner”)

Descendants

• → Hiligaynon: bilanggo

Hiligaynon

Etymology

Borrowed from Cebuano bilanggo or inherited from Proto-Visayan *bilaŋgu, ultimately from Tamil விலங்கு (vilaṅku, “animal; fetters; shackles; manacles”)(Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /biˈlaŋɡoʔ/ [biˈlaŋ.ɡʊʔ]
• Hyphenation: bi‧lang‧go

Verb

bilanggò

1. imprison, incarcerate, confine

Derived terms

• bilanggoan
• binilanggo

Ilocano

Etymology

From Tagalog bilanggo, ultimately from Tamil விலங்கு (vilaṅku, “animal; fetters; shackles; manacles”)(Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bilaŋˈɡo/ [bi.lɐŋˈɡo]
• Hyphenation: bi‧lang‧go

Noun

bilanggó (Kur-itan spelling ᜊᜒᜎᜅ᜔ᜄᜓ)

1. senior officer of a prison or school

Derived terms

• bilangguan

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• bilango — obsolete, Spanish-based spelling

Etymology

Borrowed from Malay belenggu (“shackle”), ultimately from Tamil விலங்கு (vilaṅku, “animal; fetters; shackles; manacles”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /bilaŋˈɡoʔ/ [bɪ.lɐŋˈɡoʔ]
• Rhymes: -oʔ
• Syllabification: bi‧lang‧go

Noun

bilanggô (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜒᜎᜅ᜔ᜄᜓ)

1. prisoner; captive; convict

   Synonyms: bihag, preso

2. act of imprisonment

   Synonyms: kulong, piit, bilibid

3. (law enforcement, historical, obsolete) bailiff

   Synonyms: alguwasil, agusil

Derived terms

• bantay-bilangguan
• bilanggong politikal
• bilangguan
• bilangguin
• habang-buhay na pagkabilanggo
• ibilanggo
• ipabilanggo
• mabilanggo
• magbilanggo
• magpabilanggo
• mamilanggo
• pagbibilanggo
• pagkabilanggo
• pagkakabilanggo

Descendants

• → Ilocano: bilanggo

See also

• manghuhuli

Further reading

• “bilanggo”, in KWF Diksiyonaryo ng Wikang Filipino, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, 2025
• Noceda, Fr. Juan José de; Sanlucar, Fr. Pedro de (1860), Vocabulario de la lengua tagala, compuesto por varios religiosos doctos y graves, y coordinado por…, ultimamente aumentado y corregido por varios religiosos de la Orden de Agustinos calzados. (overall work in Spanish and Classical Tagalog), Manila: Ramírez y Giraudier., page 48: “BILANGÓ. pc. alguacil”
• Santos, Fr. Domingo de los (1835), Vocabulario de la lengua Tagala, primera y segunda parte. En la primera, se pone primero el Castellano, y despues el Tagalo. Y en la segunda al contrario, que son las raíces simples con sus acentos.‎^[2] (overall work in Spanish and Classical Tagalog), Manila: La Imprenta nueva de D. José María Dayot, por Tomás Oliva.
• San Buena Ventura, Fr. Pedro de (1613), Vocabulario de lengua tagala. El romance castellano puesto primero. Primera, y segunda parte.‎^[3] (overall work in Early Modern Spanish and Classical Tagalog), as directed by Gov. Gen. Juan de Silva, Pila, Laguna: La noble Villa de Pila, por Tomás Pinpin y Domingo Loag.
  • page 45: “Alguaçil) Bilango (pc) de qualquier juſtiçia”
  • page 276: “Encarçelar) Bilango (pc) alos delinquentes”
  • page 494: “Prender) Bilango (pc) con autoridad”
  • page 495: “Preſo) Bilango (pc) eſtar alguno”
• Zorc, David Paul (1979–1983), Core Etymological Dictionary of Filipino: Part 1, page 48
• Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) loan “prisoner”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI
• Potet, Jean-Paul G. (2016), Tagalog Borrowings and Cognates, Lulu Press, →ISBN, page 302
• Scott, William Henry (1994), “The Visayas”, in Barangay: Sixteenth-century Philippine Culture and Society‎^[4], Ateneo University Press, page 70: “His sheriff or constable was bilanggo, whose own house served as a jail, bilanggowan^[sic].”