ampalaya

English

Etymology

From Tagalog ampalaya.

Noun

ampalaya (plural ampalayas)

1. (Philippines) bitter melon
   • 2016, Micky Fenix, “What the early Filipinos ate at the time of the Spaniards”, in Philippine Daily Inquirer:

     As we can all guess correctly, bitterness was obtained from plants like the ampalaya.

Masbatenyo

Noun

ampalaya

1. bitter melon

Tagalog

Etymology

Compare Cebuano paliya, Kapampangan apalya, Malay peria, Pangasinan palya, and Masbatenyo ampalaya.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ʔampalaˈja/, [ʔɐm.pɐ.lɐˈja]
• Rhymes: -a
• Syllabification: am‧pa‧la‧ya

Noun

ampalayá (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜋ᜔ᜉᜎᜌ)

1. bitter melon

   Synonyms: amargoso, apalya

2. (figurative) selfish person