bataan
batàan with stress marks
people who do menial work; cohort
From root: bata
Usage Note
Bataan in everyday usage refers to a group of workers or attendants assigned menial or support tasks, derived from bata (child/young) with a collective suffix. The term carries an older, somewhat formal register and appears more in historical or literary texts than in modern casual speech.
Examples
" Marami ang bataan dito. "
Natural Translation
There are many attendants here.
Literal Translation
Many the attendants here.
" Ang bataan ng mayaman ay nagtatrabaho mula umaga hanggang gabi. "
Natural Translation
The rich man's servants work from morning until night.
Literal Translation
The cohort of-the rich-one work from morning until night.
" Noong panahon ng mga maharlika, ang bataan ang siyang nag-aasikaso ng lahat ng pangangailangan sa loob ng bahay. "
Natural Translation
In the time of the nobles, the attendants were the ones who took care of all the needs inside the house.
Literal Translation
During time of the nobles, the attendants the one-link taking-care of all of needs in inside of house.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
How Tagalog words workWord family
bata has 5 related forms built from the same root.
Related Words
Explore Tagalog by topic
Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.

Philippine Christmas Traditions: World's Longest Holiday
Philippine Christmas traditions run four months — from Ber-month carols to Simbang Gabi dawn masses, Noche Buena feasts, and parol lanterns lighting every street.

Tagalog Verb Focus System Explained (It's Not Active vs. Passive)
The Tagalog verb focus system isn't active vs. passive. Learn actor focus, object focus, and more with clear examples that finally make it click.

Philippines Geography for Learners: Islands & Language
Philippines geography for Tagalog learners: 7,641 islands, three island groups, and the Southern Luzon heartland where the Tagalog language was born.

Tagalog Question Words: Ano, Sino, Saan & More
Tagalog question words like ano, sino, and saan need the right frame to work. Learn the ang-vs-pronoun rule, confusable pairs, and the ba particle with audio.