kasambahay

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• casambahay, casangbahay — obsolete, Spanish-based orthography
• kasangbahay

Etymology

From earlier kasangbahay, from the /ŋ/ becoming /m/ before /b/ due to nasal assimilation. By surface analysis, ka- +‎ sam- +‎ bahay (“house”), literally “someone sharing with a single house”. Commonly mistaken to be a blend of kasama (“companion”) +‎ bahay (“house”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /kasambaˈhaj/ [kɐ.sɐm.bɐˈhaɪ̯], /kasamˈbahaj/ [kɐ.sɐmˈba.haɪ̯]
• Rhymes: -aj, -ahaj
• Syllabification: ka‧sam‧ba‧hay

Noun

kasambaháy or kasambahay (Baybayin spelling ᜃᜐᜋ᜔ᜊᜑᜌ᜔)

1. domestic servant; domestic worker
2. inmate (person who shares a residence)

Derived terms

• kasambahayan
• kasambahayin
• kumasambahay
• magkasambahay
• makikasambahay

 

See also

• katulong
• kriyada
• yaya

 

Further reading

• “kasambahay”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018
• San Buena Ventura, Fr. Pedro de (1613) Juan de Silva, editor, Vocabulario de lengua tagala: El romance castellano puesto primero‎^[1], La Noble Villa de Pila, page 200: “Criado) Caſangbahay (pp) que ſirue [en caſa], tres [dice] ca, sang, bahay .|. que es deſu [miſma] caſa”