A large domesticated water buffalo used as a draft animal, particularly in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.
From Malay/Indonesian kerbau and Portuguese carabao, coming from indigenous Southeast Asian languages. The word entered English through trade and colonial contact in the region.
Carabaos are so crucial to Philippine agriculture that they're considered a cultural treasure—farmers have ceremonies blessing their carabaos, and there's even an annual fiesta celebrating them, showing how deeply animals integrate into human cultures!
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