sentences:  There is also a 'buffer zone' area where both terms are used interchangeably.The etymology of "diwata" may have been derived from the Sanskrit word, "devata", meaning "deity", while "anito"'s etymology may have been derived from the proto-Malayo-Polynesian word "qanitu" and the proto-Austronesian "qanicu", both meaning "ancestral spirits".Both "diwata" and "anito" can be translated into deities (gods and goddesses), ancestral spirits, and/or guardians, depending on the associated ethnic group.