palapa

See also: pālapa

English

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Spanish palapa, from Tagalog palapa, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *palaqpaq.

A palapa

Noun

palapa (plural palapas)

1. An open-sided dwelling with a thatched roof made of dried palm leaves.
   • 2008 January 11, Beth Greenfield, “Fishing Boats, Surfboards and Not a High-Rise in Sight”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     At the average home price, you can find a two- or even three-bedroom house with a pool and palapa.

Etymology 2

Noun

palapa (uncountable)

1. A sweet and spicy Filipino condiment made with white scallions, ginger, turmeric, chili, and toasted grated coconut.

Central Bikol

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *palaqpaq (“midrib of coconut leaf”).

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: pa‧la‧pa
• IPA^(key): /paˌlaʔˈpaʔ/ [paˌl̪aʔˈpaʔ]

Noun

palâpâ

1. midrib of a banana leaf or coconut frond

Indonesian

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Old Javanese pālapa.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /paˈlapa/ [paˈla.pa]
• Rhymes: -apa
• Syllabification: pa‧la‧pa

Noun

palapa (plural palapa-palapa)

1. bitter fruit
2. Palapa oath
3. (uncountable) Indonesia's first domestic communications satellite, launched in 1976

Further reading

• “palapa”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Old Javanese

Noun

palapa

1. alternative spelling of pālapa

Adjective

palapa

1. alternative spelling of pālapa

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Tagalog palapa (“midrib of a banana leaf or large palm frond”), from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *palaqpaq (“midrib of a coconut frond”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /paˈlapa/ [paˈla.pa]
• Rhymes: -apa
• Syllabification: pa‧la‧pa

Noun

palapa f (plural palapas)

1. (Mexico) a thatched roof
2. (Mexico) an open structure with a thatched roof, palapa

Tagalog

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /paˈlapaʔ/ [pɐˈlaː.pɐʔ]
• Rhymes: -apaʔ
• Syllabification: pa‧la‧pa

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *palaqpaq (“midrib of a coconut frond”). Compare Kapampangan palapa, Central Bikol palapa, Pangasinan palapa, Maguindanao palapa, Malay pelepah, Iban pelepah, and Tongan palalafa.

Noun

palapà (Baybayin spelling ᜉᜎᜉ) (botany)

1. the pulpy midrib or petiole of a banana leaf or coconut palm frond or leaf of a similar tree

   Synonyms: balaba, pintal

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Maranao palapa' (“spice; flavor”), from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *palapaq (“spices, condiments”). Compare Javanese ꦥ꧀ꦭꦥꦃ (plapah).

Noun

palapà (Baybayin spelling ᜉᜎᜉ)

1. palapa (sweet and spicy Filipino condiment made with white scallions, ginger, turmeric, chili, and toasted grated coconut)

References

• “palapa”, in KWF Diksiyonaryo ng Wikang Filipino, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, 2025
• “palapa”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 2018
• Panganiban, José Villa (1973), Diksyunaryo-Tesauro Pilipino-Ingles (overall work in Tagalog and English), Quezon City: Manlapaz Publishing Co.
• Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*palaqpaq”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI
• Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*palapaq”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI

Anagrams

• alapap, alap-ap