kawani
Tagalog
Etymology
Borrowed from Malay kerani (“clerk”) (written in Jawi as کراني), ultimately from Tamil கிராணி (kirāṇi, “clerk”) or from Sanskrit करण (karaṇa, “scribe”). According to Potet (2016), when the word was introduced to Tagalog, the Jawi letter ر (“r”) was probably mistaken for the letter و (“w”). According to Panganiban (1972), the word is from ka- + wani.
Pronunciation
- Hyphenation: ka‧wa‧ni
- IPA(key): /kawaˈni/, [kɐ.wɐˈni]
Noun
kawaní
- (formal) employee
- Synonyms: empleyado, tauhan
- kawani ng pamahalaan
- government employee
- helper; aid; assistant
- Synonyms: katulong, katulungin
Derived terms
- kawanihan
Further reading
- Potet, Jean-Paul G. (2016) Tagalog Borrowings and Cognates, Lulu Press, →ISBN, pages 103
- Panganiban, José Villa (1972) Diksyunaryo-Tesauro Pilipino-Ingles, Quezon City: Manlapaz Publishing Co., page 276
- Zorc, David Paul (1981) Core Etymological Dictionary of Filipino: Part 2, page 83