Inamo ka. Wait, that’s not what you think it means

The meaning behind the viral word.

“Inamo.”

“Inamo rin.”

Nope, it’s not what you think it is.

Barangay LS 97.1 has the internet doing a double take after featuring “inamo” as its Tampok na Salita for Buwan ng Wika in a Facebook post on Aug. 30.

The word immediately caught people’s attention becauseit looks—and sounds—awfully close to the contraction of that unmistakable Filipino expletive.

Citing the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino’s Diksiyonaryo ng Wikang Filipino as its source, Barangay LS 97.1 defines inamo as “pagpayapa sa kalooban ng sinumang negatibong emosyon tulad ng galit, pagtatampo, atbp.”

In other words, it’s about soothing, pacifying, or calming someone.

Barangay LS 97.1 also gave an sample sentence: “Inamo niya ang kaniyang galit na nobya dahil nalimutan niya ang kaarawan nito.”

“Sana all inaamo, ano?” the page also wrote in its caption.

But wait, there’s more

Of course, “inamo” has a little more going on than its uncanny resemblance to a certain Filipino expletive.

It’s actually the simple past form of the noun amo, with “in-” serving as the prefix or unlapi. Other meanings of the word include “Pagpapabait sa isang hayop na ilahás,” “Kawalan ng bangis o ilap (kung sa isang hayop),” and “Pakikipagpalagayan sa isang tao na malayò ang loob sa sinuman (gaya ng pakikipagkaibígan).”

As it turns out, the word should come with a diacritical mark, or tuldik, on the “o”: amò.

That’s because amò is the heteronym of ámo—words that are spelled the same but differ in pronunciation and meaning.

Ámo refers to “Mas nakatataas na táong pinaglilingkuran ng sinumang nagtatrabaho” or “May-ari ng isang hayop.” In other words, boss or master.

The KWF’s Manwal sa Masinop na Pagsulat notes that tuldik paiwà (`) is used for words with a soft, low-falling stress, while tuldik pahilís (´) marks a sharper, faster stress.

Both are spelled a-m-o, yes, but the tuldik changes how they’re pronounced—and what they mean.

So the next time you write “inamo,” a little tuldik would be nice. Otherwise, how will anyone know if you’re talking about soothing someone—or cursing at me?

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