The Spanish language has contributed numerous terms to English. Spanish is
a Latin language, so many of these terms come ultimately from Latin, while
others are from various Native American or African languages.
Most Spanish words in English can be grouped into the following categories:
food, animals, people, buildings, drugs, nature, and war.
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Animals
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alligator |
from el lagarto (the lizard) |
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alpaca
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from Aymara word allpaca |
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armadillo
|
diminutive of armado (armored), past participle of
armar
(to arm), from Latin armare (to arm), from arma
(arms) |
| barracuda |
from barraco (overlapping tooth) |
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bronco
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(wild) |
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cockroach
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from cucharacha, from cuca (caterpillar) |
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condor
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from cóndor, from Quechua cuntur |
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coyote
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from Nahuatl cóyotl |
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iguana
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from Arawak iwana |
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jaguar
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from Guarani jaguá or yaguar (dog) |
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llama
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from Quechua |
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mosquito
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diminutive of mosca (fly), from Latin musca |
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mustang
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from American Spanish mesteño or mestengo (stray
animal), from Old Spanish, from mesta (association of
livestock owners), from Medieval Latin mixta (assorted) |
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pinto
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(piebald, spotted), from Vulgar Latin pinctus (painted) |
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puma
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from Quechua |
| tuna |
from atún, from Arabic at-tun (the tuna), from
Latin thunnus |
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Buildings and Places
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| Spanish |
Notes, (Literal meaning) |
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adobe
|
from Arabic atuba (the brick) |
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alcove
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from French alcôve, from Spanish alcoba, from
Arabic al-qubba (the vault) |
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barrio
|
from Arabic barri (of an open area), from barr
(open area) |
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cafeteria
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from cafetería (coffee shop), from café
(coffee), from Turkish qahveh |
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hoosegow
|
from juzgado (courtroom, past participle of juzgar
[to judge]), from Latin iudicare |
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mosque
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from French mosquée, from Old French mousquaie,
from Old Italian moschea, from moscheta, from Old
Spanish mezquita, from Arabic masjid |
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patio
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(courtyard) |
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silo
|
~unknown origin |
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Drugs
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cigar
|
cigaro, poss. from Maya sik'ar, from sik
(tobacco) |
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cigarette
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(small cigar), French diminutive of cigar, from cigaro,
etc. |
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cocaine
|
French cocaïne, from Spanish coca, from Quechua
kúka |
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marijuana
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marihuana |
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mescal
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American Spanish, from Nahuatl mexcalli (mescal liquor) |
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peyote
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American Spanish, from Nahuatl peyotl |
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sherry
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alteration of sherris, from Spanish city of Xeres (Jerez) |
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tobacco
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tobaco |
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| Food Terms |
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alfalfa |
Spanish, from Arabic al-fashfasha, variant of
fishfisha, from Persian aspist (clover) |
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banana |
from African languages Wolof, Mandingo, and Fulani |
burrito
|
diminutive of burro (donkey) |
| chile, chili |
type of pepper, from Nahuatl word chilli |
| chocolate |
from Nahuatl xocolatl (bitter water) |
cilantro
|
from Late Latin coliandrum, from Latin coriandrum |
| con carne |
(with meat) |
enchilada
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("chile peppered") |
guacamole
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from Nahuatl ahuacamolli (avocado paste) |
| lime
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Spanish lima, from Arabic lima |
| mole sauce
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from Nahuatl molli (sauce, paste) |
| nacho
|
possible diminutive of Ignacio or alteration of ñato
(pug-nosed, ugly, poor) |
oregano
|
from orégano (wild majoram) |
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potato |
from patata, from Taino word batata (sweet
potato), influenced by Quechua word papa (white potato) |
| rusk
|
Spanish/Portuguese rosca (coil, rusk), perhaps diminutive
of Latin rota (wheel) |
salsa
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(sauce) |
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sarsaparilla
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zarzaparilla, from zarza (bramble), from Arabic sharas,
variation of shirs, from sharasa (to be vicious) + parrilla,
diminutive of parra (vine) |
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taco
|
(plug, wad of money) |
tamale
|
from tamales, plural of tamal (tamale), from
Nahuatl tamalli |
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tomato |
from tomate, from Nahuatl word tomatl |
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tortilla
|
diminutive of torta (cake) |
| vanilla |
from vainilla, diminutive of vaina (sheath) due to
the shape of vanilla pods |
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Nature
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balsa
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(raft) |
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barranca
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(gorge) |
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canyon
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cañon, augmentative of caña (tube, cane), from
Latin canna (reed) |
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hurricane
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huracán, from Taino hurákan |
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llano
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(plain), from Latin planum, from planus (level) |
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mesa
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(table), from Old Spanish, from Latin mensa |
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talc
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French, from Old Spanish talco and Medieval Latin
talcum, both from Arabic talq, from Persian talk |
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tornado
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alteration of tronada (thunderstorm) [poss. influenced by
tornar (to turn)], from tronar (to thunder), from
Latin tonare |
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tornillo
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American Spanish, from Spanish (small lathe, screw), diminutive
of torno (lathe), from Latin tornus, from Greek
tornos |
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People
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aficionado
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past participle of aficionar (to cause a liking for),
from afición (liking), from Latin affectio/affection |
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booby
|
probably from bobo (silly, stupid), from Latin balbus
(stammering) |
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cannibal
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from Caníbalis (name of the allegedly cannibalistic
Caribs of Cuba and Haiti as recorded by Christopher Columbus), from
Carib karibna (person, Carib) |
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matador
|
from matar (to kill) |
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War
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armada
|
Spanish, from medieval Latin armata, from Latin feminine past
participle of armare (to arm), from arma (arms)
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barrack
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from French baraques, from Spanish barracas (soldiers'
tents, huts)
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comrade
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from French camarade, from Old French (roommate), from old
Spanish camarada (barracks company, roommate), from camara
(room), from late Latin camera (chamber), from Latin (vault),
from Greek kamara
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desperado
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desesperado (desperate person), past participle of desesperar
(to despair), from Latin desperare
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guerrilla
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(little war, raiding party), diminutive of guerra (war)
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junta
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Spanish/Portuguese (conference), perhaps from Vulgar Latin past
participle of iungere (to join)
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renegade
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renegado, from Medieval Latin renegatus, past
participle of renegare (to deny)
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vigilante
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(watchman), from Latin vigilans, vigilant-, present
participle of vigilare (to be watchful), from vigil
(watchful)
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| Miscellaneous |
| bonanza |
Spanish, from Medieval Latin bonancia (calm
sea), from Latin bonus (good) + Medieval Latin malacia
(calm sea) |
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bravado
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French bravade and Old Spanish bravada (swagger, bravery),
both from Vulgar Latin brabus
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cargo
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from cargar (to load), from Late Latin carricare, from
Latin carrus (type of wagon)
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embargo
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from embargar (to impede), from Vulgar Latin imbarricare
(to barricade)
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guitar
|
French guitare, from Spanish guitarra, from Greek
kithara
(cithara)
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hammock |
hamaca, from Taino
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lariat
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la reata, from reatar (to tie again)
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lasso
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lazo, from Vulgar Latin laceum (noose)
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peccadillo
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pecadillo, diminutive of pacado (sin) + Italian
paccadiglio, diminutive of peccato (sin), both from Latin
peccatum, from peccare (to sin)
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ranch
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American Spanish rancho (small farm), from Spanish (hut, group of
people who eat together), from Old Spanish rancharse (to be
billeted), from Old French se ranger (to be arranged)
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rodeo |
(corral), from rodear (to surround), from rueda (wheel),
from Latin rota
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savvy
|
from [Ud.] sabe (you know), from saber (to know), from
Old Spanish, from Vulgar Latin sapere, from Latin sapere
(to be wise)
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| siesta |
Spanish, from Latin sexta (sixth hour, midday) |
| sombrero |
Spanish, possibly from sombra (shade), from
sombrar
(to shade), from Late Latin subumbrare (to cast a shadow) |
| stampede |
estampida (uproar, stampede), from Provençal,
from estampir (to stamp), ultimately from German |
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vamoose |
from vamos (let's go), from Latin vadamus, subjunctive
conjugation of vadere (to go) |
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Spanish
in English
