Also means
Damá (stress on the second syllable) means 'to touch or feel' — a completely separate word despite sharing the same letters.
Usage Note
Dáma entered Tagalog from Spanish 'dama' (lady). As a game, dáma is the Filipino equivalent of checkers and remains a popular pastime in rural communities, often played on handmade boards with bottle caps as pieces. As 'lady-in-waiting,' it survives mainly in historical or theatrical contexts.
Examples
" Maglaro tayo ng dama. "
Natural Translation
Let's play checkers.
Literal Translation
Play we of checkers.
" Naglalaro ng dáma ang mga matanda sa plasa tuwing hapon. "
Natural Translation
The elders play checkers at the plaza every afternoon.
Literal Translation
Playing checkers the elders at-the plaza every afternoon.
" Habang umuulan sa labas, nag-uubos kami ng oras sa paglalaro ng dama gamit ang mga tansan. "
Natural Translation
While it rained outside, we passed the time playing checkers using bottle caps.
Literal Translation
While raining at outside, spending we of time in playing of checkers using the bottle-caps.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
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