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English words of Spanish origin



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This is a list of English language words whose origin can be traced to the Spanish language as "Spanish loan words". Many of them are identical in other Romance languages (mainly Portuguese), but their ultimate origin is from Spanish.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

abaca 
via Spanish from Tagalog abaká
abalone 
from Spanish abulón, from Ohlone
alidade 
via French and Spanish from Arabic al-idada, "the revolving radius"
alligator 
from el lagarto, "the lizard"
alpaca 
from Spanish, from Aymara allpaka
aludel 
from Old French alutel, via Spanish from Arabic al-utal, "the sublimation vessel"
amigo 
from Spanish and/or Portuguese amigo, "friend"
amole 
Mexican Spanish
amontillado 
from the village of Montilla, Province of Córdoba, Spain
ancho 
from Mexican Spanish (chile) ancho, "wide (chili)"
anchovy 
from Spanish anchoa or more probably Portuguese anchova
Angeleno 
from American Spanish
Apache 
from Mexican Spanish
armada 
from the Spanish navy, La armada española
armadillo 
from armadillo, "little armored one"
arroyo 
from arroyo, "stream"
avocado 
alteration of Spanish aguacate, from Nahuatl ahuacatl
ayahuasca

B

banana 
from Spanish or Portuguese banana, probably from a Wolof word - Arabic "ba' nana" fingers
bandolier 
from Spanish bandolera, ="band (for a weapon or other) that crosses from one shoulder to the opposite hip" and bandolero, ="he who wears a bandolier"
barbecue 
from the Chibcha word barbacoa
barracuda 
from barracuda
barranca 
from Spanish barranca or barranco, ="ravine"
barriada 
from Spanish barrio, "neighborhood", from Arabic barri
barrio 
from Spanish barrio, "neighborhood", from Arabic barri
bastinado 
from bastonada, from Spanish bastón, cane
bodega 
from Spanish and/or Portuguese bodega, ="cellar"
bolase 
from Spanish bolas, =balls
bolero 
from Spanish bolero
bonanza 
from bonanza
bonito 
from Spanish bonito, ="beautiful"
bobby 
from Spanish bobo ="silly"
breeze 
from brisa or from Frisian briesen - to blow (wind)
bronco or broncho 
from bronco
buckaroo 
from vaquero, ="cowboy"
burrito 
from burrito, = a dish originally from Northern Mexico, literally "little donkey"
burro 
from burro, ="donkey"

C

caballero 
from Spanish caballero, from caballo, ="horse"
cabana 
from Spanish cabaña or Portuguese cabana
cacique 
from Spanish, from Taino, a chief
cafeteria 
from cafetería, "coffee store"
calaboose 
from Louisiana French calabouse, from Spanish calabozo
caldera (used in geology) 
from Spanish caldera, "=cauldron"
California 
place name first seen in print in 1510 Spanish novel "Las Sergas de Esplandían" by García Ordóñez de Montalvo
camarilla 
from camarilla ="small room"
camino 
from camino a path or road, from caminar to walk
cannibal 
from Spanish caníbal, alteration of caríbal, from Caribe
canoe 
from Spanish canoa, from Haitian canaoua
canyon 
from cañón
carabao
from Spanish from Visayan language, from Malay language.
caramba
from Spanish ; expression of dread, displeasure, or disapproval, euphemism for carajo ="penis"
carbonado 
from carbonada, from carbón ="coal"
cargo 
from cargo, carga ="load"
Caribbean 
from Spanish Caribe, from name of Carib Indians of the region.
cassava 
from cazabe, from Taino caçábi
caudillo 
from caudillo
cedilla 
from cedilla, archaic spelling zedilla (little z)
chaparral 
from Spanish, chaparro = small evergreen oak, from Basque "txapar"
chaps 
from Mexican Spanish chaparreras, leg protectors for riding through chaparral
chayote 
from Spanish, from Nahuatl chayotl
chicha 
from Spanish chicha, from Panama native American language chichab, ="maize"
chicle 
from chicle, from Nahuatl tzictli
chile 
from Spanish chile, from Nahuatl chilli
chipotle 
from Spanish, smoked jalapeño, from Nahuatl chilpoctli
chocolate 
from Spanish chocolate, from Nahuatl xocolatl
chorizo 
from chorizo
churros 
from churros
cigar 
from Spanish cigarro, from Mayan sicar, sic (="tobacco")
cigarette 
from French cigarette, diminutive of French cigare, from Spanish cigarro
cilantro 
from Spanish cilantro', "coriander"
coca 
from Spanish, coca, from Quechua kúka
cockroach 
from Spanish cucaracha
cocoa or cacao 
from Spanish cacao, from Nahuatl cacáhuatl
Colorado
from Spanish colorado, red or colored
comrade 
from French camarade, from Spanish camarada
condor 
from Spanish, from Quechua cuntur
conquistador 
from conquistador, from conquista="conquest"
coquina 
from coquina, dim. form of "concha" = seashell; a sedimentary rock of NE Florida
cordillera 
from cordillera
corral 
from corral
corrida
a bullfight
coyote 
from Spanish coyote, from Nahuatl coyotl
creole 
from French créole, from Spanish criollo, from Portuguese crioulo, raised in the house
crimson 
from Old Spanish cremesín, from Arabic qirmizi, from qirmiz kermes
crusade 
blend of Middle French croisade & Spanish cruzada; both ultimately from Latin cruc-, crux cross
cumbia 
from Spanish cumbia, a popular dance (for couples) originating in Colombia, Panama and Argentina

D

daiquiri 
from Daiquiri, a port city in eastern Cuba
dengue 
from Spanish dengue, from Swahili dinga, = "seizure"
desperado 
from Spanish desesperado, desperate

E

El Dorado 
from El Dorado, literally, "the golden one"
El Niño 
from El Niño de la Navidad, literally, "the Christmas child" due to the warming of Pacific waters seemed to warm around Christmas
Embarcadero 
from embarcadero a boat dock
embargo 
from Spanish embargar ="to bar"
escabeche 
from escabeche

F

Florida
from La Florida, the flowery or plant-filled place

H

hacienda 
from Old Spanish facienda
hackamore 
from Spanish jaquima
hombre 
from Spanish "hombre" same as man and he-man: macho or very strong, tough, and masculine man.
hoosegow
from Spanish juzgado, courthouse, from juzgar, to judge

I

Inca 
from Spanish inca, from Quechua
incommunicado 
from incomunicado
iguana 
from Spanish iguana from Arawak

J

jade 
from Spanish piedra de ijada
jaguar 
from Spanish jaguar from Guaraní yaguar
jalapeño
from Spanish, a type of spicy chilli named after Jalapa de Enríquez, a town in Mexico, and the capital of the state of Veracruz
jerky 
from Spanish charqui, from Quechua ch'arki, ="dried flesh"
junta or junto
from Spanish junta, a group of leaders, usually military officers in a coup d'état. As an adjective it means "together".

K

key 
from Spanish cayo, from Taino (this is English 'key'/'cay'/'quay' as in an island, reef or a linked series of them, not the 'key' with which you lock/unlock)

L

lariat 
from la reata, = the strap, rein, or rope
lasso 
from Spanish lazo
loco 
from loco, =mad, crazy
Lolita 
from the diminutive for Lola, short for Dolores

M

mesa 
from mesa, table. The corresponding Spanish word to a flat top mountain is meseta
mescal 
from Spanish mezcal, from Nahuatl mexcalli
mesquite 
from Mexican Spanish mezquite, from Nahuatl mizquitl
mestizo 
from mestizo
mojito 
dim. formed from "mojado" = dipped, or wet, probably referring to the mint in the drink
mole 
from Spanish, from Nahuatl molli (="sauce")
Montana
from montaña, a mountain
mosquito 
from mosquito, literally "little fly"
mulatto 
from Spanish or Portuguese mulato
mustang 
from mestengo or mesteño, ="without known master or owner" (archaic)
mustee 
from mestizo

N

nacho 
from Nacho, a nickname for the given name Ignacio, inventor of the snack
negro 
from Spanish or Portuguese negro, ="black"
Nevada
from Nevada literally "snowy"

O

olé 
an interjection, an expression of approval or triumph, similar to the Italian bravo, used by spectators of bull fights or football (soccer) matches
oregano 
from orégano

P

pachuco 
from pachuco
paella 
from Spanish paella, from Catalan paella (saucepan)
palmetto 
from palmito, diminutive form of the word for palm.
pampa 
from Spanish, from Quechua pampa, =plain
papaya 
from japaya, akin to Arawak papáia
patio 
from patio, inner courtyard, ="an open paved area adjacent to a home"
peccadillo 
from pecadillo, ="small sin"
peccary 
from Spanish pecarí, from Guaraní
peon 
from Spanish peón (="laborer")
peyote 
from Spanish, from Nahuatl peyotl (="caterpillar")
Philippines 
from Latin ="islands of king Philip II of Spain", in Spanish Filipinas
piccadill 
from picadillo
pimento or pimiento 
from pimiento
pinta 
from pinta
piña colada 
from Spanish piña = pineapple and colada = enamored with, crazy about
Piragua 
from the combination of Spanish words Piramide = "pyramid" and Agua = "water"[1]
pisco 
from pisco
placer mining 
from placer, ="sand bank"
platinum 
from platina, ="little silver" (now "Platino")
playa 
from playa
plaza 
from plaza',' ="public square, spot or place"
poncho 
from poncho, from Araucanian
posada 
from posada
potato 
from European Spanish patata, itself from batata, = "sweet potato", from Taino and papa, "potato" from Quechua
pronunciamento 
from pronunciamiento proclamation, ="military coup d'état", usually establishing a military dictatorship (often a junta)
puma 
from Spanish, from Quechua
puna 
from puna, from Quechua

Q

quadroon 
from cuarterón
quechua 
from Spanish, from Quechua qishwa, valley of temperate weather
quesadilla 
from quesadilla, diminutive of "queso" = cheese.
Quetzal 
from Spanish, from Nahuatl "quetzalli": a group of colourful birds of the trogon family found in tropical regions of the Americas. It also may refer to Guatemalan quetzal, the currency of Guatemala.
quinoa 
from Spanish quinua, from Quechua kinua
quirt 
from Spanish cuarta = a short horseman's whip, from "one fourth" (of a vara)

R

ranch 
from rancho, a hut
reconquista 
from reconquista ="reconquest"
remuda 
from Mexican Spanish remudar, to exchange (horses)
renegade 
from renegado
robalo 
from Spanish róbalo, a tropical marine game and fish food
roble 
from Spanish roble= a California oak tree
rodeo 
from rodeo and verb rodear (to go around)
rumba 
from rumba

S

saguaro 
from saguaro, from Piman
salsa 
from salsa, ="sauce"
sapodilla 
from zapotillo
sarabande 
from French sarabande in turn from Spanish zarabanda
savanna 
from sabana, from Taino zabana
savvy 
from Spanish or Portuguese sabe, "knows"
shack 
perhaps from Mexican Spanish jacal, from Nahuatl xacalli
sherry 
from Old Spanish Xerés [ʃe'ɾes], modern Spanish Jerez [xe'ɾeθ]
sierra 
from sierra, a saw
siesta 
from siesta, ="nap", maybe lusism, from Latin Sexta [hora]
silo 
from silo
sombrero 
from sombrero (literally, shade maker), ="hat"
stampede 
from estampida
stockade 
from a French derivation of the Spanish estacada

T

taco 
from taco
tamale 
from Spanish tamales, pl. of tamal, from Nahuatl tamalli, dumpling made from corn flour
tango 
from Spanish tango, from Latin tango ="I touch"
tapioca 
from tapioca
ten-gallon hat
from Spanish tan galán = how gallant (looking); alternate theory is the gallon of Texas English here is a misunderstanding of galón = braid
tequila 
from tequila
tilde 
from tilde
tiri 
from tiro
tobacco
from Spanish tabaco
tomatillo 
from Spanish tomatillo, ="small tomate" (see Physalis philadelphica)
tomato 
from Spanish tomate, from Nahuatl xitomatl
toreador 
from toreador
torero 
from torero, from toro ="bull"
tornado 
from Spanish tornado
tortilla 
from tortilla, "little torta" = cake. Currently means "omelet" in Spain; in Spanish America = small cake of either corn meal or wheat flour
tuna 
from Spanish atún, from Arabic tun, from Latin thunnus, from Greek θύννοσ, thynnos (=tuna fish)
turista 
from turista ="tourist"

V

vamoose 
from vamos, meaning "let's go"
vanilla 
from Spanish vainilla, from vaina,="pod"
vicuña 
from Spanish, from Quechua wikunna
vigilante 
from Spanish vigilante, meaning watchman

W

wrangler 
shortened from Spanish caballerango, a groom neigh

Z

Zorro 
from Portuguese/Spanish zorro, a fox, originally "smart"

See also

References

  1. ^ "Luisito and the Piragua", Page 12, Author: Toro, Leonor, Publisher: New Haven Migratory Children's Program, Hamden-New Haven Cooperative Education Center; ERIC #: ED209026; Retrieved July 14, 2008

External links

 

 

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Published - February 2009


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