sikhay

Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from Hokkien. Manuel (1948) notes “siek(semen, lasciviousness, lavishness)-kài, worldliness, libertine, dissolute, licentious ^[sic]”, which could possibly correspond to Hokkien 潲 (siâu, “semen”) + 界 (kài, “world; domain; realm”). Compare Hokkien 四界 (sì-kòe/sì-kè, “everywhere”) or 世界 (sè-kài/sì-kài, “world”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /sikˈhaj/ [sɪkˈhaɪ̯]
• Rhymes: -aj
• Syllabification: sik‧hay

Noun

sikháy (Baybayin spelling ᜐᜒᜃ᜔ᜑᜌ᜔)

1. zeal; assiduity; diligence

   Synonyms: sikap, tiyaga, sipag, sigasig, sigsa, siyasig

Derived terms

• masikhay

Further reading

• “sikhay”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018
• Manuel, E. Arsenio (1948) Chinese elements in the Tagalog language: with some indication of Chinese influence on other Philippine languages and cultures and an excursion into Austronesian linguistics, Manila: Filipiniana Publications, page 53