tao-tao

== Tagalog == === Etymology === Reduplication of tao. The word does not exist in older dictionaries and may have been a recent coinage patterned from other Philippine languages, which were derived from Proto-Philippine *tau-tau (“pupil (eye)”), from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *tau tau, from Proto-Austronesian *Cau Cau (“pupil of the eye”), reduplication of *Cau (“person”). Compare Tagalog balintataw, Ilocano tao-tao, Kapampangan telataung-mata / balintatau, Central Bikol alintataw / tatawo, Cebuano tawo-tawo, and Tausug tau-tau mata. === Pronunciation === (Standard Tagalog) IPA(key): /ˌtaʔo ˈtaʔo/ [ˌt̪aː.ʔo ˈt̪aː.ʔo] Rhymes: -aʔo Syllabification: ta‧o-ta‧o === Noun === tao-tao (Baybayin spelling ᜆᜂᜆᜂ) (anatomy) pupil (of the eye) Synonyms: balintataw, inla, alikmata ==== Related terms ==== === Further reading === “tao-tao”, in KWF Diksiyonaryo ng Wikang Filipino, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, 2025