petmalu
petmalú with stress marks
extremely amazing; outstanding
Usage Note
Petmalu is a Filipino millennial/Gen Z slang term formed by reversing syllables of 'malupet' (awesome, badass). It is used to describe something or someone impressively excellent or extraordinary. The syllable-reversal wordplay style is part of a broader Filipino youth slang phenomenon called 'binaliktad na salita' (reversed words).
Examples
" Petmalu ang kanta mo! "
Natural Translation
Your song is awesome!
Literal Translation
Extremely-amazing the song your!
" Ang ginawa nila sa entablado ay petmalu. "
Natural Translation
What they did on stage was extremely amazing.
Literal Translation
The did they on stage is extremely-amazing.
" Sabi ng mga kabarkada, petmalu daw ang bagong proyekto na ipinakita namin sa kompetisyon. "
Natural Translation
According to our barkada, the new project we showed at the competition was apparently outstanding.
Literal Translation
Said of the plural friend-group, extremely-amazing reportedly the new project that showed we at-the competition.
Tagalog builds thousands of words from a few hundred roots.
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