Dear David, The word for "basil" (Ocimum sanctum) is _sulási_ in Tagalog. It is a Sanskrit loanword undoubtedly borrowed through an intermediary language. You will find the etymon _tulasi:_ [i: stands for i with macron] page 451, column 3 of MONIER-WILLIAMS, Monier (1899). _Sanskrit-English dictionary_. Oxford: Clarendon. Best regards Jean-Paul G. Potet