bulong-ita

== Tagalog == === Alternative forms === bolong aeta — obsolete, Spanish-based spelling bolongeta, bolong-eta bulong-aeta, bulong-ayta, bulung-ayta bulung-ita === Etymology === From bulo (“hair; filament”) +‎ -ng- +‎ Ita (“Aeta; dark-skinned person”), likely named for its black, hairy flowers. It is worth noting that the tree's species name, pilosanthera, is derived from Latin pilōsa (“hairy”) and anthēra (“anther”). An alternate etymology suggests that the name derives from bulong (“whisper”) +‎ Ita (“Aeta”) instead. The tree was said to serve as a gateway to the enchantment and beauty of the forest. Aeta ancestors would approach it closely, faces almost touching the bark, and softly whisper a prayer for guidance and permission to enter the forest. See also Sambali bolong (“leaf”). === Pronunciation === (Standard Tagalog) IPA(key): /ˌbuloŋ ˈʔita/ [ˌbuː.loŋ ˈʔiː.t̪ɐ] Rhymes: -ita Syllabification: bu‧long-i‧ta === Noun === bulong-ita (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜓᜎᜓᜅ᜔ᜁᜆ) medium-sized tree with oblong leaves with fascicled flowers and subellipsoid fruit (Diospyros pilosanthera) Synonyms: dambuhala, alintataw, balatinaw, katilma, talang-gubat ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== === Further reading === “bulong-ita”, in KWF Diksiyonaryo ng Wikang Filipino, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, 2025 “bulung-ita”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 2018 Noceda, Fr. Juan José de; Sanlucar, Fr. Pedro de (1860), Vocabulario de la lengua tagala, compuesto por varios religiosos doctos y graves, y coordinado por…, ultimamente aumentado y corregido por varios religiosos de la Orden de Agustinos calzados.‎[1] (overall work in Spanish and Classical Tagalog), Manila: Ramírez y Giraudier.