espongha

Cebuano

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish esponja.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔesˈpoŋha/ [ʔes̪ˈpoŋ.hɐ]
• Hyphenation: es‧pong‧ha

Noun

espongha (Badlit spelling ᜁᜐ᜔ᜉᜓᜅ᜔ᜑ)

1. sponge
2. powder puff

Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish esponja, from Latin spongia, from Ancient Greek σπογγιά (spongiá). See also funggus and onggo.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ʔesˈpoŋha/ [ʔɛsˈpoŋ.hɐ]
• Rhymes: -oŋha
• Syllabification: es‧pong‧ha

Noun

espongha (Baybayin spelling ᜁᜐ᜔ᜉᜓᜅ᜔ᜑ)

1. sponge
   • 1905, Ang Dating Biblia, Manila: Philippines Bible Society, Mateo 27:48:

     At pagkaraka'y tumakbo ang isa sa kanila, at kumuha ng isang espongha, at binasa ng suka, saka inilagay sa isang tambo, at ipinainom sa kaniya.

     And straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.

   • 2001, Retorikang Pangkolehiyo, Rex Bookstore, Inc., →ISBN, page 98:

     Sapagkat ang isang nagsusulat ay kailangang parang isang espongha na humihigop ng tubig sa kanyang paligid.

     Because the one who writes should be like a sponge that absorbs the water from its surroundings.

   • 2006, “Espongha​—Simple Pero Kamangha-mangha”, in Gumising!‎, archived from the original on 10 September 2020:

     “Ang mga espongha ang pinakamatanda at pinakamababang uri ng hayop,” ang sabi ng National Geographic News. Kaya nga iniisip ng ilan na ang sinaunang espongha ang ninuno ng mga hayop at tao sa teoriya ng ebolusyon.

     “Sponges occupy the oldest and lowest branch on the animal family tree,” states National Geographic News. This has led some individuals to speculate that an ancient sponge was the evolutionary ancestor of animals and humans.

2. powder puff

Related terms

• esponghada
• esponghado
• esponghera
• esponghoso

Further reading

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