balimbing

English

Etymology

From Tagalog balimbing.

Noun

balimbing (plural balimbings)

  1. (Philippines) Alternative form of belimbing (star fruit).
  2. (Philippine politics) A turncoat; one who defects to the other side in politics; one who switches political parties

Cebuano

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *baliŋbiŋ. Compare Bikol Central balimbing, Tausug baymbing, and Malay belimbing.

Noun

balimbing

  1. Averrhoa carambola; a species of tree in the family Oxalidaceae
  2. the fruit of this tree; carambola; star fruit

Tagalog

Alternative forms

  • balingbing

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *baliŋbiŋ. Compare Bikol Central balimbing, Tausug baymbing, and Malay belimbing. The senses involving treachery alludes to the fruit's multifaceted appearance when viewed from the side.

Pronunciation

  • (Standard Tagalog) IPA(key): /balimˈbiŋ/ [bɐ.lɪmˈbɪŋ]
  • Rhymes: -iŋ
  • Syllabification: ba‧lim‧bing

Noun

balimbíng (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜎᜒᜋ᜔ᜊᜒᜅ᜔)

  1. carambola (Averrhoa carambola)
    Synonym: karambola
  2. star fruit; carambola fruit
  3. sideburns; side whiskers
    Synonym: patilya
  4. (politics, figurative, slang) traitor; turncoat; politician who switch political parties
    Synonyms: doblekara, taksil, traydor
    • year unknown, Kawil Iv' 2002 Ed., Rex Bookstore, Inc. (→ISBN), page 29:
      Nakita ngayon si Buyok na nagpayo sa kanyang pumunta sa Kongreso dahil maraming balimbing doon.

Derived terms

  • balimbingan
  • bumalimbing

Descendants

  • Spanish: balimbín

Adjective

balimbíng (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜎᜒᜋ᜔ᜊᜒᜅ᜔)

  1. (figurative) treacherous; disloyal

Further reading

  • balimbing”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018
  • Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*baliŋbiŋ”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI