OUTOFPAPUA database: Lexicons of the West Papuan language area

Entry record from Schapper (2020): Wersing Peitoko

bilkai[bilˈkaj]

•  n. papaya.pepaya.

bilikai awi noa payaya fruit, sebuah pepaya

Bilikai geiko bal.Papaya seeds are big., Biji pepaya besar.

Etymology: Unknown Austronesian source, combining a cognate of Makasar |fn{bila} 'bael, |sc{Aegle marmelos}' plus a reflex of *kahiw 'tree, wood' (ACD). In Wersing and the other East Alor languages, there was a semantic shift from 'bael' to 'papaya'. Pantar and West Alor languages retain the meaning 'bael'.

Etymology: bibref R003