The Spanish language is full of words that come from Latin, although it has the influence of many other languages and cultures. After the conquest of the Spanish empire in America, the Spanish language was enriched with indigenous words mostly from the Nahuatl language. We review the etymology of 40 words that we still use daily.
Words of Indigenous Origin Used in Spanish
We present a list of Spanish words (Latin American and Castilian) that are inherited from the indigenous peoples of Ibero-America. We also include the word and its compound meaning if it has one.
Words of Nahuatl Origin
Mostly, these indigenous words come from the Nahuatl language. Currently, there are about one million inhabitants, all in Mexico, who speak some of the variants of Nahuatl. These are communities in rural areas that preserve the cultural heritage of the Aztecs and Mexicas. Therefore, these words are also called Nahuatlisms or Aztecanisms.
1. Avocado (aguacatl): Means testicle.
2. Cocoa (cuahuitl): Interestingly, it was also used as currency.
3. Cenote (from the Mayan tz’onot): Water reservoir, well, or abyss.
4. Tar (tzauc-popochtli): Perfumed glue.
5. Gum (from Nahuatl chitli, which in turn comes from the Mayan sicte): Sap of the chicozapote tree, native to Mexico.
6. Chili (chilli): Means spicy.
7. Chipotle (chilpoctli): A variety of chili.
8. Chocolate (chocolatl): Yellowish-brown water.
9. Coyote (coyotl): Species of wolf-dog.
10. Guacamole (ahuacamulli): Preparation (mulli) based on avocado.
11. Guatemala (quauhtlemallan): Place of many trees.
12. Rubber (ulli): Rubber extracted from the ulquahuill tree used to make fabrics.
13. Jalisco (xallisco): Sandy place.
14. Raccoon (mapach): Animal "that has hands."
15. Mexico (Mexitli): Navel (xictli) of the moon (metztli).
16. Nicaragua (nic-anahuac): Means "this is where the Nahuas reached." The Nahuas are the Mesoamerican natives.
17. Petate (petlatl): Fabric placed on the ground.
18. Tequila (tequitl): Referring to the place where the drink is made. Means "place where work is done."
19. Tomato (tomatl): Fat water.
20. Clod (soqui): Mud or dirt.
Words of Quechua Origin
We know the Quechua or Quichua language as the set of languages originating from the Andes region, mainly in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. It is also related to the Aymara languages in Bolivia. In any case, Quechua had a notable influence on the Spanish language, leaving some Quechua words such as the following.
21. Alpaca (allpaqa): Blonde variety (p’aku) of the camel.
22. Field (kancha): Enclosed place.
23. Tent (karpa): Arbor.
24. Condor (kuntur): The largest of the birds.
25. Priest (kura): Referring to the colloquialism for parish priest, means "person who guides."
26. Coca (kuka): Name for the plant.
27. Gaucho (wakcha): Referring to the inhabitant of the Argentine plains. Means poor or orphan.
28. Guano (wánu): Animal excrement.
29. Potato (papa): White tuber. The conquerors adopted the form "patata."
30. Puma (puma): Name for the animal.
Words of Taíno Origin
Taíno, with its different dialects, is the language spoken in the Antilles and Florida Keys during the Spanish conquest. It was the first American language to come into contact with Spanish, so it is a great source of indigenous words, in this case, Taíno words. It is currently an extinct language.
31. Barbecue (barbakoa): Set of sticks.
32. Chief (cakchikeles): Tribe leader.
33. Canoe (caná-oua): Literally: to hollow out the tree.
34. Hammock (hamaka): Fishing net.
35. Hurricane (huracan): Center (hura) of the wind (can).
36. Iguana (iwana): Name for the animal.
37. Corn (mahís): What gives sustenance to life. This gives us an idea of its importance.
Words of Guaraní Origin
About eight million people still speak (or know) Guaraní, a language originating from the area of Bolivia, Paraguay, and part of Argentina. Although there are several modern dialects, it is a pre-Hispanic language. Just as there are several Guaraní words that come from Spanish, our language has also been enriched by Guaraní lexicon. Here are examples of Guaraní words.
38. Maraca (mbaracá): Gourd.
39. Paraguay (paraguái): River that leads to the sea.
40. Toucan (tuka): Name for the animal.
Bibliographic References
Blanch, J. M. L. (1965). Influence of Indigenous Languages on the Lexicon of Spanish Spoken in Mexico. Anuario de Letras. Linguistics and Philology, 5, 33-46.
Frazier, E. G. (2006). Loans from Nahuatl to Mexican Spanish. Hesperia: Anuario de filología hispánica, (9), 75-86.
Cabrera, L. G. (1992). Dictionary of Aztecanisms (No. 463 C32 1992).
Gaztambide Arrillaga, C. (1990). The Indigenous Taíno Language in the Antilles.
Munne, J. C. Z. (2002). Indigenous Words in the Language of the Conquerors. Hesperia: Anuario de filología hispánica, (5), 195-210.