isko

Tagalog

Etymology

Clipping of iskolar (“scholar”), from the phrase “iskolar ng bayan”, literally, “scholar of the people”. The scholarship of the students given the label is subsidized by the government, which is in turn funded by the citizens' taxes. Thus, in effect, the people pays for the students' education.

Pronunciation

(Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ʔisˈko/ [ʔɪsˈko]
Rhymes: -o
Syllabification: is‧ko

Noun

iskó (Baybayin spelling ᜁᜐ᜔ᜃᜓ) (education, university slang)

student with education subsidized by the government (especially from state universities such as the University of the Philippines)

Usage notes

The term is not gender-specific. However, since the word ends with -o (Spanish-derived masculine suffix, see Spanish -o), the word is sometimes assumed to be masculine. The term iska is used to specify a female state university student.