diwata

D2I1W4A1T1A1

noun

In Filipino folklore, a fairy, spirit, usually a lesser god or goddess, believed to guard natural features such as forests.

OriginCebuano diwata ← Malay dewata ← Sanskrit देवता →
Scrabble 10
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

noundiwata (plural diwatas)

plural diwatas · alternative divata

  1. artsIn Filipino folklore, a fairy, spirit, usually a lesser god or goddess, believed to guard natural features such as forests.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
divata

Origin

  1. Sanskritदेवता“god, deity”
  2. Malaydewata
  3. Cebuanodiwata
  4. Englishdiwata

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

More words from Cebuano, Malay, Sanskrit

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

diwata. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diwata

MLA

“diwata.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diwata. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “diwata,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/diwata.

Source: diwata on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.