sa·pa·ril·ya n. [Boie’nen]
1. Bottle cap, esp. the crimped metal cap used to seal glass soda or beer bottles.
Syn. Tagalog tansan
Ex. Iemet mo ana saparilya sa rigsangan.
Throw away the bottle cap in the trash.
2. by extension Any small, round, flat metal disc repurposed as a toy, token, or counter in games.
Etymology
Likely from Spanish tapar “to cover” via Tagalog tansan “bottle cap”, with Boie’nen phonological adaptation saparilya. Cf. Tagalog sarsaparilya “sarsaparilla”, but semantic shift to tansan suggests folk association with Sarsi soft-drink caps.
Related terms
Boie’nen: sakeb “cover/lid”
Tagalog: tansan “bottle cap; crown cap”; tanso “copper; small change”
Usage note
Saparilya is used in games like tatsi’an, where players flick bottle caps. Not to be confused with sarsaparilya, the plant/drink.