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Etymology of the word "tanggol"?

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Author Photo by: ireneccan
Feb 24 2023, 10:45am CST ~ 1 year, 1 mo ago. 
My mother was watching the new teleserye, Batang Quiapo, and she told me about the show's protagonist, nicknamed "Tanggol". She translated the name as "protector", but earlier this week, she said she mistranslated it, and it instead meant "defender". So it started a discussion between the two of us on what exactly the difference is between the two words. She said she wasn't really sure what the nuances of "Tanggol" were, so I'm curious what exactly the word means, where it came from, and if it has the same ambiguity as "protector" and "defender" in English.
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Author Photo adrian313
Mar 11 2023, 9:49pm CST ~ 1 year, 1 mo ago. 
They're very close in my opinion. If I had to distinguish, I'd say protection is passive while defense is active. Wearing armor is protection while using martial arts is defense. I liken tanggol more to defend but protect is super close.
 
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Author Photo Juantutri Badge: Native Tagalog Speaker
Mar 28 2023, 11:36pm CST ~ 1 year, 0 mos ago. 
"Tanggól" is "defend" although I don't think we use the root word alone except when it is used as someone's name (though I have never encountered anyone with that name) or nickname. Thinking along with @adrian313, it might be possible to use "tanggol" to mean "protection" too if you can make the same substitution in English.
 
The Tagalog word for "lawyer" is "mánananggól" or "tagapágtanggól (the one who defends)".
 
I guess only a linguist may be able to address your need for an etymological explanation of the word. However, checking with Google Translate, it means "hedge" in Javanese, and "tanggul" in Indonesian is "embankment, dike, levee". The meanings appear to be related.
 
"Protection" is more of "sangga (parry a blow)" in Tagalog, but I also don't think that we use that root word just by itself. "Pananggá (pang-sangga)" is "shield" in Tagalog.
 
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Author Photo MANGYANAKO Badge: Native Tagalog Speaker
Apr 04 2023, 12:10am CST ~ 12 mos. ago. 
@ireneccan depends on the sentence used. Tanggol can be a synonym also for avenge, fight, protect and defend.they are all correct and there might be more.
 
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