hitso

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• itso

Etymology

From Chinese, according to Serrano-Laktaw (1914). According to Manuel (1948), the term came from Chinese [script needed] (*hotitso, “name of a nut like the betel-nut which yields a sticky substance used for strengthening thread, etc.”). See also Hokkien 核桃 (hu̍t-thô, “walnut”) and English catechu.

Zorc (1982) disagreed with its Chinese origin, and proposed Spanish hecho (“done; made”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /hiˈt͡ʃo/ [hɪtˈt͡ʃo]
  • IPA^(key): (no palatal assimilation) /hitˈso/ [hɪt̪ˈso]
• Rhymes: -o
• Syllabification: hit‧so

Noun

hitsó (Baybayin spelling ᜑᜒᜆ᜔ᜐᜓ)

1. betel nut and betel leaf wrap chewed with lime (may include chewing tobacco)

   Synonyms: mam-in, nganga

2. (pyrotechnics) a kind of rectangular firecracker

Derived terms

• maghitso

See also

• buyo
• ibay
• ikmo
• itmo
• kalakpan
• kateku
• luyos
• mama
• samat

Further reading

• “hitso”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018.
• Serrano Laktaw, Pedro (1914), Diccionario tagálog-hispano (overall work in Tagalog and Spanish), Intramuros, Manila: Ateneo de Manila., page 331
• Manuel, E. Arsenio (1948), Chinese elements in the Tagalog language: with some indication of Chinese influence on other Philippine languages and cultures and an excursion into Austronesian linguistics, Manila: Filipiniana Publications, page 24
• Zorc, David Paul (1982), Core Etymological Dictionary of Filipino: Part 3, page 166