Meanings
plural carabaos
- PhilippinesAny member of the domesticated subspecies Bubalus bubalis carabanesis of water buffalo.
The weaker carabaos are slaughtered for meat, the stronger ones put to work on Golgotha, and the drivers are assimilated into the workforce.
1999, Neal Stephenson, Cryptonomicon2 more examples
Filipinos tell several stories about the carabao. The Tagalog, who live mainly on Luzon, tell the following story about how the carabao, one of the largest animals in the country, is tricked by one of the smallest animals, a hummingbird.
2001, Greg Nickles, Philippines: The Culture, page 30The Malay people who arrived in the Philippines between 1500 B.C. and 500 B.C. introduced the carabao as a work animal. Today the carabao, also known as the water buffalo, is a very important animal in the Philippines. Carabaos are popular farm animals.
2005, Cindy Fazzi, How to Draw the Philippines's Sights and Symbols, page 24Synonyms: kerbau
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAny member of the domesticated subspecies Bubalus bubalis carabanesis of water buffalo.
Origin
- Proto-Mon-Khmer*krpiʔ ~ *krpiiw ~ *krpuʔ ~ *(kr)puh“buffalo”
- Proto-Malayic*kAr(ə)baw
- Malaykerbau
- Waray-Waraykarabaw
- Spanishcarabao
- Englishcarabao
Borrowed from Spanish carabao, from Waray-Waray karabaw, from Malay kerbau, from Proto-Malayic *kAr(ə)baw, ultimately from Proto-Mon-Khmer *krpiʔ ~ *krpiiw ~ *krpuʔ ~ *(kr)puh (“buffalo”). Compare Khmer ក្របី (krɑɑbəy), Halang kơpùa, Indonesian kerbau, Javanese ꦏꦼꦧꦺꦴ (kebo), Thai กระบือ (grà-bʉʉ).
More words from Spanish, Waray-Waray, Malay
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Indonesian kerbau
- kerbauBubalus bubalis carabanesis
Malay kerbau, benuang
- kerbauBubalus bubalis carabanesis
- benuangBubalus bubalis carabanesis
Polish carabao
- carabaoBubalus bubalis carabanesis
Portuguese carabau
- carabauBubalus bubalis carabanesis
Russian бу́йвол, водяно́й бу́йвол
- бу́йвол (bújvol)Bubalus bubalis carabanesis
- водяно́й бу́йвол (vodjanój bújvol)Bubalus bubalis carabanesis
Spanish carabao
- carabaoBubalus bubalis carabanesis
Tagalog kalabaw, nuwang
- kalabawBubalus bubalis carabanesis
- nuwangBubalus bubalis carabanesis
- anwangBubalus bubalis carabanesis
- anuwangBubalus bubalis carabanesis
- kubawBubalus bubalis carabanesis
Cite this entry
carabao. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/carabao
“carabao.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/carabao. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “carabao,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/carabao.
Source: carabao on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.