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

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