gawgaw

Hiligaynon

Noun

gawgaw

1. starch

Sranan Tongo

Etymology

Reduplication of gaw, or borrowed from the Dutch reduplication gauw gauw.

Adjective

gawgaw

1. very quick, very fast

Tagalog

Etymology

Possibly from Chinese. Compare Bikol Central gawgaw, Hiligaynon gawgaw, and Waray-Waray gawgaw. See also Burmese ကော် (kau), and Chinese 膠／胶.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ɡawˈɡaw/ [ɡaʊ̯ˈɣaʊ̯]
• Rhymes: -aw
• Syllabification: gaw‧gaw

Noun

gawgáw (Baybayin spelling ᜄᜏ᜔ᜄᜏ᜔)

1. starch made from plants or palms (especially cornstarch, but also those of cassava, arrowroot, etc.)

   Synonym: balinghoy

2. laundry starch

   Synonyms: amirol, almidon

3. Polynesian arrowroot (Tacca leontopetaloides)
4. mixture obtained by stirring

Further reading

• “gawgaw”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018