alibata

English

Proper noun

alibata

1. Synonym of Baybayin (“Tagalog writing system”)

Tagalog

Etymology

From the first three letters of the Arabic alphabet, Arabic أَلِف بَاء تَاء (ʔalif bāʔ tāʔ), Coined by Paul Rodriguez Verzosa in 1914 presumably under the erroneous assumption that Baybayin was derived from it. Compare Malay alif-ba-ta.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ʔaliˈbata/ [ʔɐ.lɪˈba.tɐ]
• Rhymes: -ata
• Syllabification: a‧li‧ba‧ta

Noun

alibata (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜎᜒᜊᜆ)

1. Arabic script (especially as known in the Orient)

   Synonym: sulat Arabo

2. (proscribed) Baybayin (Philippine script)

   Synonym: Baybayin

Further reading

• “alibata”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018