madre-kakaw
madre-kakáw with stress marks
St. Vincent plum tree
Usage Note
Madre-kakaw (Chrysobalanus icaco, also known as the cocoplum or St. Vincent plum) is a tropical plant found throughout the Philippines. Its name blends Spanish 'madre' (mother) with 'kakaw' (cacao), though it is unrelated to the cacao tree. It is used in folk medicine and produces small edible fruits. Knowledge of the plant is more common in rural areas.
Examples
" Matamis ang bunga ng madre-kakaw. "
Natural Translation
The St. Vincent plum's fruit is sweet.
Literal Translation
Sweet the fruit of-the madre-kakaw.
" Malaki ang madre-kakaw. "
Natural Translation
The St. Vincent plum tree is big.
Literal Translation
Big the St. Vincent plum tree.
" Sa probinsiya, ginagamit ng mga matatanda ang dahon ng madre-kakaw bilang gamot, samantalang kinakain naman ng mga bata ang maliliit nitong bunga. "
Natural Translation
In the province, the elders use the leaves of the St. Vincent plum as medicine, while the children eat its small fruits.
Literal Translation
In province, used of-the elders the leaf of madre-kakaw as medicine, while eaten by the children the small its fruit.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
How Tagalog words workRelated Words
Explore Tagalog by topic
Free guides on grammar, vocabulary, and culture to take you past single-word lookups.

Languages of the Philippines: Tagalog, Cebuano, and More
Languages of the Philippines: one national language (Filipino) plus 180+ regional languages. Here's who speaks what, where, and why it matters to you.

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.

Tagalog Numbers 1-100: Counting, Time & Money Explained
Learn Tagalog numbers 1-100 and beyond. Master both native and Spanish-derived counting systems, plus telling time, reading prices, and ordinals.

Days of the Week and Months in Tagalog
The days of the week and months in Tagalog are Spanish loanwords. Learn all 7 days and 12 months with pronunciation, plus how to say dates and 'every Monday.'