saxeng
Phonetic
[să:ʁ̋:.eɘŋ]
English: Translation
Resin; hardened tree sap. The dried, solidified aromatic resin naturally exuded by certain trees, especially the pili tree (Canarium ovatum), after exposure to air. Traditionally collected as a valuable forest product and widely used as a raw material in incense, varnishes, adhesives, and particularly the perfume industry. Unlike po-ot, which refers to fresh, sticky flowing sap, saxeng denotes the sap after it has cured or hardened into resin.
Semantic Domain
Plants, trees and other vegetation
Food, cooking and foodways
Custom tags
Phoneme X
phonology
Notes
[să:g̈:.eɘŋ] transcription using [g̈] is not a faithful representation of this Boie’nen Phoneme-X or RHO sound especially as compared
saxeng /sa.xeŋ/ n.
SEMANTIC DOMAIN
Plants • Forest Products • Traditional Materials • Resin
BOTANICAL NOTE
The best-known source of saxeng is the pili tree (Canarium ovatum), native to the Bicol Region.
Fresh exudate:
po-ot
↓
Exposure to air
↓
Hardens into
saxeng
Thus the two words describe different stages of the same plant secretion.
Linguistic History
ETHNOLINGUISTIC NOTE Historically, hardened pili resin was among the important non-timber forest products collected in the forests of southern Luzon. Besides local uses, it became an export commodity valued for its pleasant aroma and adhesive properties.