tabad
tábad with stress marks
water used to dilute liquid; a chaser
Also means
Tabad also refers to bloodletting in traditional folk medicine.
Usage Note
Tabad in this sense is the liquid — often plain water — used to chase or thin out a strong alcoholic drink. It is common in informal drinking sessions where pacing consumption matters, and the word is familiar in regions with a tradition of local spirits like lambanog.
Examples
" Uminom siya ng tabad. "
Natural Translation
He/she drank a chaser.
Literal Translation
Drank he/she of chaser.
" Kumuha siya ng tabad. "
Natural Translation
He/she got a chaser.
Literal Translation
Got he/she of chaser.
" Matapang ang lambanog, kaya naghanda sila ng tabad na tubig para hindi masyadong tumama sa kanila. "
Natural Translation
The lambanog was strong, so they prepared a water chaser so it wouldn't hit them too hard.
Literal Translation
Strong the lambanog, so prepared they of chaser water so not too hit to them.
Take Tagalog with you
The full course, a 12,500-word dictionary, and flashcards that make every word stick — free to start on iOS and Android.
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.
Seasons in the Philippines: A Tagalog Guide
The Philippines has two seasons, not four. Learn tag-araw, tag-ulan, and taglamig, the generative tag- prefix, and the weather vocabulary to match.
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.
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.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Tagalog?
Survival Tagalog takes ~3-4 weeks and comfortable conversation 6-12 months. FSI's 1,100 hours is the professional bar, not the talking-to-family bar.