'banig' originates from Tagalog (Filipino), specifically the word 'banig', a native Austronesian term denoting a woven mat.

'banig' is traced to Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *banik/*panik and similar forms in other Malayic and Philippine languages; it entered English as a cultural loanword from Tagalog/Filipino.

Initially, it meant 'woven mat' in the source languages, and over time it has retained this core meaning in both the source languages and in English usage.