kabayanan
political/economic town center
From root: bayan
Usage Note
Kabayanan is derived from bayan (town, nation, people) with the ka--an circumfix, referring to the central settlement or town proper, distinct from surrounding barrios or barangays. It carries a sense of civic identity and is used in both geographic and community contexts. In pre-colonial usage, the bayan was the primary social and political unit.
Examples
" Pumunta sila sa kabayanan. "
Natural Translation
They went to the town center.
Literal Translation
Went they to-the town-center.
" Pumunta siya sa kabayanan para bayaran ang buwis. "
Natural Translation
He/She went to the town center to pay taxes.
Literal Translation
Went he/she to-the town-center to pay the taxes.
" Tuwing Linggo, dumadagsa ang mga taga-barrio sa kabayanan upang mamili at dumalo sa misa sa malaking simbahan. "
Natural Translation
Every Sunday, the people from the barrios flock to the town center to shop and attend mass at the big church.
Literal Translation
Every Sunday, flock the people-from-barrio to-the town-center in-order-to shop and attend in mass in-the big church.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
How Tagalog words workWord family
bayan has 6 related forms built from the same root.
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