balikbayan

English

Etymology

From Tagalog balikbayan, from balik (“to return”) + bayan (“home country”).

Noun

balikbayan (plural balikbayans)

1. (Philippines) A Filipino returning to the Philippines after spending time in another country. [from 20th c.]
   • 1990, Conrado De Quiros, Flowers from the rubble, page 139:

     It's the time of year when balikbayans descend upon us in droves Ito remind us of how benighted we are.

   • 2011, Philippine Daily Inquirer, (headline), 12 July:

     2 balikbayans kidnapped in Zamboanga City.

   • 2015, Elaine Marie Carbonell Laforteza, The Somatechnics of Whiteness and Race, page 132:

     This dual citizenship enables him to return to the Philippines as a balikbayan.

Derived terms

• balikbayan box

Tagalog

Etymology

From balik +‎ bayan.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /balikˈbajan/ [bɐ.lɪkˈbaː.jɐn̪]
• Rhymes: -ajan
• Syllabification: ba‧lik‧ba‧yan

Noun

balikbayan (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜎᜒᜃ᜔ᜊᜌᜈ᜔)

1. expatriate that returns to their native country (especially Filipinos)

Derived terms

• magbalikbayan
• pagbabalikbayan

 

Further reading

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