Boraboran / Sanbisinti (San Vicente)

Part of speech: proper noun; place name

Definition: An outlying barangay of Buhi, Camarines Sur, situated along the municipal boundary with Polangui, Albay.

Etymology: Traditionally associated with Boie’nen borabod, “a spring; a natural source from which groundwater emerges.” The name probably identifies Boraboran as a place characterized by one or more springs or naturally flowing water sources. The repeated element and final -an are compatible with a place-name formation meaning approximately “place of springs” or “place where water springs forth.” However, the precise historical development from borabod to Boraboran has not yet been established and should be treated as a traditional etymological explanation.

Cultural and geographical note: Boraboran lies on the outskirts of Buhi near the boundary with the municipality of Polangui. Its traditional association with a water spring may be compared with Boransan, a town-proper neighborhood whose name is likewise locally connected with borabod.

Usage note: Capitalize Boraboran when referring to the barangay. Do not define it simply as “spring”; the word is now a proper place name whose proposed source is borabod.

Semantic domains: Place names; Settlements and barangays; Landscape; Springs and water sources

Related entries: borabod; Boransan; Buhi