taeng-bituin

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• taing bituin

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *taqi nu bituqən. By surface analysis, tae (“feces”) + bituin (“star”). Compare Pangasinan tai-bitewen (“shooting star”, literally “feces star”), Kapampangan taklang-batuin (“shooting star”, literally “feces star”), Malay tahi bintang (“shooting star”, literally “feces star”), and Hokkien 疶屎星 (chhoah-sái-chhiⁿ, “shooting star”, literally “diarrhea star”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog)
  • IPA^(key): /ˌtaʔeŋ bituˈʔin/ [ˌt̪aː.ʔɛm bɪ.t̪ʊˈʔɪn̪]
    • Rhymes: -in
  • IPA^(key): /ˌtaʔeŋ bituˈwin/ [ˌt̪aː.ʔɛm bɪˈt̪wɪn̪] (colloquial)
• Syllabification: ta‧eng-bi‧tu‧in

Noun

taeng-bituín (Baybayin spelling ᜆᜁᜅ᜔ᜊᜒᜆᜓᜁᜈ᜔) (astronomy)

1. meteor; shooting star

   Synonyms: bulalakaw, meteoro, bituing-alpas, bituing-may-sumbol, (obsolete) sulong-mangayaw

2. meteorite; tektite

   Synonym: (neologism) bulalato

Further reading

• “taeng-bituin”, in KWF Diksiyonaryo ng Wikang Filipino, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, 2025
• “taeng-bituin”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 2018
• 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 el P. Juan de Noceda y el P. Pedro de Sanlucar. Ultimamente aumentado y corregido por varios religiosos de la Orden de Agustinos calzados. [Vocabulary of the Tagalog language, compiled by several learned and serious religious men, and coordinated by Fr. Juan de Noceda and Fr. Pedro de Sanlucar. Recently augmented and corrected by several religious of the calced Order of Augustinians.]‎^[1] (overall work in Spanish and Classical Tagalog), Manila: Imprenta de Ramírez y Giraudier [Ramirez & Giraudier Press], →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL
• Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*Caqi”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI