Etymology

diwata

D2I1W4A1T1A1

Today it means: In Filipino folklore, a fairy, spirit, usually a lesser god or goddess, believed to guard natural features such as forests. Full definition →

Cebuano diwata ← Malay dewata ← Sanskrit देवता
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

  1. Sanskrit · derived fromदेवता“god, deity”
  2. Malay · derived fromdewata
  3. Cebuano · borrowed fromdiwata
  4. English todaydiwata

Borrowed from Cebuano diwata, from Proto-Visayan *diwata, from Malay dewata, from Sanskrit देवता (devatā, “god, deity”). Doublet of devata.

Words from the same roots

Cebuanodiwata all →

divata

Malaydewata all →

divata

Sanskritदेवता all →

devatadivata

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.