bawang

See also: bāwàng

Asi

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bawaŋ (“garlic, onion”).

Noun

bawang

1. garlic

Bolinao

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bawaŋ (“garlic, onion”).

Noun

bawang

1. garlic

Cebuano

Alternative forms

• bauang — obsolete

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bawaŋ (“garlic, onion”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbawaŋ/ [ˈba.wɐŋ]
• Hyphenation: ba‧wang

Noun

báwang (Badlit spelling ᜊᜏᜅ᜔)

1. garlic

   Synonyms: ahos, lasuna

Central Bikol

garlic bulbs

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bawaŋ (“garlic, onion”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbawaŋ/ [ˈba.waŋ]
• Hyphenation: ba‧wang

Noun

báwang (Basahan spelling ᜊᜏᜅ᜔)

1. garlic

See also

• sebolyas
• seboyas

Central Dusun

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

bawang

1. onion

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

bawang

1. alternative form of baang (“tiver”)

References

• “bawang”, in Dusun dictionary, 2025–2026

Iban

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bawaŋ (“garlic, onion”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba.waᵊŋ/
• Hyphenation: ba‧wang

Noun

bawang

1. onion

Ilocano

Alternative forms

• bauang — obsolete

Etymology 1

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bawaŋ (“garlic, onion”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbawaŋ/
• Hyphenation: ba‧wang

Noun

bawang

1. garlic

Etymology 2

From Proto-Philippine *bawáŋ (“ravine”). Cognate with Tagalog bawang.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baˈwaŋ/ [bɐˈwaŋ]
• Hyphenation: ba‧wáng

Noun

bawáng

1. gorge
2. inlet

Derived terms

• Bauang

Indonesian

Etymology

From Malay bawang, ultimately from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bawaŋ (“garlic, onion”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈbawaŋ/ [ˈba.waŋ]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -awaŋ
• Syllabification: ba‧wang

Noun

bawang (plural bawang-bawang)

1. a generic name for onion or leek; Allium sp

Derived terms

• bawang-bawangan
• berbawang
• membawang
• membawangi
• pembawang

• bawang bakung
• bawang benggala
• bawang bombai
• bawang cina
• bawang cung
• bawang daun
• bawang merah
• bawang prei
• bawang putih
• bawang sabrang

• daun bawang

Further reading

• “bawang”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Javanese

Romanization

bawang

1. romanization of ꦧꦮꦁ

Kapampangan

Noun

báwang

1. Súlat Wáwâ spelling of bauang

Karao

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bawaŋ (“garlic, onion”).

Noun

bawang

1. garlic

Lun Bawang

Noun

bawang

1. onion

References

• Ricky Ganang et al. (2008), “bawang”, in Kemaloh Lundayeh–English Dictionary, Borneo Research Council, →OCLC, page 36

Malay

Etymology

Ultimately from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bawaŋ (“garlic, onion”).

Sense of "gossiping" attested from 2017 to refer to scenarios of old ladies gossiping while peeling onions in preparation for communal cooking (kenduri), by association of verb kupas meaning not only "to peel" but also "to get to the bottom of something".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbawaŋ/ [ˈba.waŋ]

• Audio (Malaysia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aŋ
• Hyphenation: ba‧wang

Noun

bawang (Jawi spelling باوڠ, plural bawang-bawang or bawang²)

1. a generic name for onion, include garlic, leek etc.
2. (by extension) a plant of the genus Allium.

Derived terms

Reduplications

• bebawang

Compounds

• bawang Benggala (“Welsh onion”)
• bawang besar (“sweet onion”)
• bawang besar kuning (“yellow onion”)
• bawang besar putih (“white onion”)
• bawang bombai (“red onion”)
• bawang Cina (“Welsh onion”)
• bawang Holland (“yellow onion”)
• bawang kecil (“shallot”)
• bawang merah (“red onion, shallot”)
• bawang merah besar (“red onion”)
• bawang merah kecil (“shallot”)
• bawang mutiara (“pearl onion”)
• bawang perai (“leek”)
• bawang putih (“garlic”)
• bawang ros (“Bangalore rose onion”)
• daun bawang (“green onion”)

Descendants

• > Indonesian: bawang (inherited)
• → Ternate: bawa

Verb

bawang

1. (Malaysia, figuratively) to be angry; see membawang
2. (Malaysia, slang) to gossip

   Apa yang diorang bawangkan tu?

   What are they gossiping about?

Derived terms

• geng bawang (“online commenters who like to gossip and make provocative comments”) (slang)
• mak cik bawang (“a gossiper, one who slanders other people”)
• membawang
• pembawang
• tentera bawang (“gossip army, a group of Malaysian nationalists who troll opponents online”) (slang)

References

• Pijnappel, Jan (1875), “باوڠ bawang”, in Maleisch-Hollandsch woordenboek, John Enschede en Zonen, Frederik Muller, page 46
• Wilkinson, Richard James (1901), “باوڠ bawang”, in A Malay-English dictionary, Hong Kong: Kelly & Walsh limited, page 88
• Wilkinson, Richard James (1932), “bawang”, in A Malay-English dictionary (romanised), volume I, Mytilene, Greece: Salavopoulos & Kinderlis, pages 93-4

Further reading

• "bawang" in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu (PRPM) [Malay Literary Reference Centre (PRPM)] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017
  (also see "bawang" at PRPM first version)

Maranao

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bawaŋ.

Noun

bawang

1. onion, garlic

Masbatenyo

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bawaŋ (“garlic, onion”).

Noun

bawang

1. garlic

Sambali

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bawaŋ (“garlic, onion”).

Noun

bawang

1. garlic

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• bauang — obsolete, Spanish-based spelling

Etymology 1

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bawaŋ (“garlic, onion”). Cognate with Ilocano bawang, Central Bikol bawang, and Malay bawang (“onion”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈbawaŋ/ [ˈbaː.wɐŋ]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -awaŋ
• Syllabification: ba‧wang

Noun

bawang (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜏᜅ᜔)

1. garlic

   Synonym: aho

2. big firecracker shaped like garlic
3. (slang, derogatory) fat person

   Synonym: tabatsoy

Derived terms

• bawang-pula
• bawangan
• binawangan
• dikdik-bawang

Etymology 2

From Proto-Philippine *bawáŋ (“ravine”), from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bawaŋ (“open space, expanse of land or water”). Cognate with Ilocano bawang (“gorge”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /baˈwaŋ/ [bɐˈwaŋ]
• Rhymes: -aŋ
• Syllabification: ba‧wang

Noun

bawáng (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜏᜅ᜔)

1. thickly forested mountain region with uneven terrain

Related terms

• Bauan

See also

• awang
• luwang
• puwang

Further reading

• “bawang”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 2018
• “bawang”, in Pinoy Dictionary, 2010–2026.
• San Buena Ventura, Fr. Pedro de (1613), Vocabulario de lengua tagala. El romance castellano puesto primero. Primera, y segunda parte.‎^[1] (overall work in Early Modern Spanish and Classical Tagalog), as directed by Gov. Gen. Juan de Silva, Pila, Laguna: La noble Villa de Pila, por Tomás Pinpin y Domingo Loag., page 38: “Ajos) Bavang (pp) legumbre comeſtible”
• Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*bawaŋ”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI

Anagrams

• bangaw, bang-aw