abaca

Where does the word "abaca" come from? It comes from Tagalog/Bikol abaka, and was adopted directly into English (1800s).

Abaca’s story begins in Tagalog/Bikol: abaka meant “a fiber-producing plant.” A banana-family plant whose leaf fiber is woven into rope and fabric. It reached English by 1800s as abaca. Exported from the Spanish Philippines through Manila, it became the world's main rope fibre for 19th-century sailing ships. Today, abaca means a strong fiber from a banana-family plant, used for rope and fabric, also called Manila hemp.

1. Stage 1 · Tagalog/Bikol · medieval abaka "a fiber-producing plant", a banana-family plant whose leaf fiber is woven into rope and fabric.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1800s abaca "a strong plant fiber used for rope and fabric", exported from the Spanish Philippines through Manila, it became the world's main rope fibre for 19th-century sailing ships.