Boie'nen (Old Buhi Language)
Donate About Tutorials FAQ
Living Dictionaries
Boie'nen (Old Buhi Language)
Donate About Tutorials FAQ
Terms of Use Privacy Policy Youtube terms Google terms

toma

Sense 1
English: Translation
A pubic louse or crab louse; a small, broad-bodied blood-feeding parasite traditionally found clinging to human pubic hair or other coarse body hair.
Sense 2
English: Translation
Traditionally, a small tick-like, flea-like, or louse-like ectoparasite occurring on the body, clothing, or coarse body hair.
Sense 3
English: Translation
By semantic extension or popular identification, a tick; garapata
Scientific Name
Pthirus pubis
Notes

toma

n.

Semantic note

The primary inherited sense is most probably “body louse; clothing-associated louse,” contrasting with koto, the human head louse. In traditional Boie’nen usage, toma appears to have become specialized for the pubic or coarse-body-hair parasite commonly called the pubic louse or crab louse.

Although speakers may also identify it as garapata, a true tick and a pubic louse are zoologically different. The connection likely reflects traditional classification based on their similar small size, clinging behavior, bodily location, and blood-feeding habit.

Compare

  • koto — adult human head louse.
  • koyomad — young or newly hatched head louse.
  • lesa’ — nit; louse egg attached to a hair.
  • garapata — tick, especially one parasitizing animals.

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *tumah “clothes louse; body louse,” with cognates such as Itbayaten tomah, Maranao tom, Buginese tuma, Wolio tuma, and Wetan toma.