fidbak (Tagalog)
Where does "fidbak" come from?
The Tagalog word 'fidbak' is a direct loanword from the English 'feedback.' The English term itself combines two ancient Germanic roots: 'feed,' stemming from the Proto-Indo-European root for protecting or grazing, and 'back,' referring to the rear of the body. Together, they evolved to describe the process of returning information or signals to an original source.
Full etymology tree
- fidbak (Tagalog), 'feedback (critical assessment of process or activity)'
- borrowed feedback (English), 'Critical assessment of a process or activity or of their results.'
- compound feed (English), 'To give (someone or something) food to eat.'
- inherited feden (Middle English), 'to provide for; to maintain (oneself or others)'
- inherited fēdan (Old English), 'to feed'
- inherited *fōdijan (Proto-West Germanic), 'to feed'
- inherited *fōdijaną (Proto-Germanic), 'to feed'
- inherited *peh₂- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to protect, to ward'
- inherited *fōdijaną (Proto-Germanic), 'to feed'
- inherited *fōdijan (Proto-West Germanic), 'to feed'
- inherited fēdan (Old English), 'to feed'
- inherited feden (Middle English), 'to provide for; to maintain (oneself or others)'
- compound back (English), 'At or near the rear.'
- inherited bak (Middle English), 'The back, hind, or rear of a being's body'
- inherited bæc (Old English), 'back'
- inherited *bak (Proto-West Germanic), 'back (of the body)'
- inherited *baką (Proto-Germanic), 'back, rear'
- inherited *bʰeg- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to break'
- inherited *baką (Proto-Germanic), 'back, rear'
- inherited *bak (Proto-West Germanic), 'back (of the body)'
- inherited bæc (Old English), 'back'
- inherited bak (Middle English), 'The back, hind, or rear of a being's body'
- compound feed (English), 'To give (someone or something) food to eat.'
- borrowed feedback (English), 'Critical assessment of a process or activity or of their results.'
Ancestors
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris