Glossary
(English version of “Noli Me Tangere”)
- abá
- A Tagalog exclamation of wonder, surprise, etc., often used to introduce or emphasize a contradictory statement.
- abaka
Manila hemp,
the fiber of a plant of the banana family. - achara
- Pickles made from the tender shoots of bamboo, green papayas, etc.
- alcalde
- Governor of a province or district with both executive and judicial authority.
- alferez
- Junior officer of the Civil Guard, ranking next below a lieutenant.
- alibambang
- A leguminous plant whose acid leaves are used in cooking.
- alpay
- A variety of nephelium, similar but inferior to the Chinese lichi.
- among
- Term used by the natives in addressing a priest, especially a friar: from the Spanish amo, master.
- amores-secos
Barren loves,
a low-growing weed whose small, angular pods adhere to clothing. - andas
- A platform with handles, on which an image is borne in a procession.
- asuang
- A malignant devil reputed to feed upon human flesh, being especially fond of new-born babes.
- até
- The sweet-sop.
- Audiencia
- The administrative council and supreme court of the Spanish régime.
- Ayuntamiento
- A city corporation or council, and by extension the building in which it has its offices; specifically, in Manila, the capitol.
- azotea
- The flat roof of a house or any similar platform; a roof-garden.
- babaye
- Woman (the general Malay term).
- baguio
- The local name for the typhoon or hurricane.
- bailúhan
- Native dance and feast: from the Spanish baile.
- balete
- The Philippine banyan, a tree sacred in Malay folk-lore.
- banka
- A dugout canoe with bamboo supports or outriggers.
- Bilibid
- The general penitentiary at Manila.
- buyo
- The masticatory prepared by wrapping a piece of areca-nut with a little shell-lime in a betel-leaf: the pan of British India.
- cabeza de barangay
- Headman and tax collector for a group of about fifty families, for whose
tribute
he was personally responsible.
