List of English words of Spanish origin

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. abaca : via Spanish from Tagalog abakáabalone : 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 allpakaaludel : from Old French alutel, via Spanish from Arabic al-utal, "the sublimation vessel"amarillo: is the English word "yellow "amigo : from Spanish and/or Portuguese amigo, "friend"amole : Mexican Spanishamontillado : from the village of Montilla, Province of Córdoba, Spainancho : from Mexican Spanish (chile) ancho, "wide (chili)"anchovy : from Spanish anchoa or more probably Portuguese anchovaAngeleno : from American SpanishApache : from Mexican Spanisharmada : from the Spanish navy, La armada española armadillo : from armadillo, "little armed one" arroyo : from arroyo, "stream"avocado : alteration of Spanish aguacate, from Nahuatl ahuacatlayahuascaAztecAzul: is in English the colr "blue"

B

banana : from Spanish or Portuguese banana, probably from a Wolof word - Arabic "ba' nana" fingersbandolier : 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 barbacoabarracuda : from barracudabarranca : from Spanish barranca or barranco, ="ravine"barradio : from Spanish barrio, "neighborhood", from Arabic barribarrio : from Spanish barrio, "neighborhood", from Arabic barribastinado : from bastonada, from Spanish bastón, caneblanco: means the color "white"bodega : from Spanish and/or Portuguese bodega, ="cellar"bolas : from Spanish bolas, =ballsbolero : from Spanish bolerobonanza : from bonanzabonito : from Spanish bonito, ="beautiful"booby : from Spanish bobo ="silly"breeze : from brisa or from Frisian briesen - to blow (wind) bronco or broncho : from broncobuckaroo : 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 cabanacacique : from Spanish, from Taino, a chiefcafeteria : from cafetería, "coffee store"calaboose : from Louisiana French calabouse, from Spanish calabozocaldera (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 Montalvocamarilla : from camarilla ="small room"camino : from camino a path or road, from caminar to walkcannibal : from Spanish caníbal, alteration of caríbal, from Caribecanoe : from Spanish canoa, from Haitian canaouacanyon : from cañóncarabao: 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 caçábicaudillo : from caudillocedilla : 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 chaparralchayote : from Spanish, from Nahuatl chayotlchicha : from Spanish chicha, from Panama native American language chichab, ="maize"chicle : from chicle, from Nahuatl tzictlichile : from Spanish chile, from Nahuatl chillichipotle : from Spanish, smoked jalapeño, from Nahuatl chilpoctlichocolate : from Spanish chocolate, from Nahuatl xocolatlchurros : from churroscigar : from Spanish cigarro, from Mayan sicar, sic (="tobacco") cigarette : from French cigarette, diminutive of French cigare, from Spanish cigarrocilantro : from Spanish cilantro', "coriander"coca : from Spanish, coca, from Quechua kúkacockroach : from Spanish cucarachacocoa or cacao : from Spanish cacao, from Nahuatl cacáhuatlColorado: from Spanish colorado, red or coloredcomrade : from French camarade, from Spanish camaradacondor : from Spanish, from Quechua cunturconquistador : from conquistador, from conquista="conquest"coquina : from coquina, dim. form of "concha" = seashell; a sedimentary rock of NE Floridacordillera : from cordilleracorral : from corralcorrida: a bullfightcoyote : from Spanish coyote, from Nahuatl coyotlcreole : from French créole, from Spanish criollo, from Portuguese crioulo, raised in the housecrimson : from Old Spanish cremesín, from Arabic qirmizI, from qirmiz kermescrusade : blend of Middle French croisade & Spanish cruzada; both ultimately from Latin cruc-, crux crosscumbia : from Spanish cumbia, a popular dance (for couples) originating in Colombia, Panama and Argentina

D

daiquiri : from Daiquiri, a port city in eastern Cubadengue : 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 ChristmasEmbarcadero : from embarcadero a boat dockembargo : from Spanish embargar ="to bar"

F

fiador : from Colonial Spanish fiadorFlorida: Really La Florida , Easter Florida

H

Hacienda : from Old Spanish faciendahackamore : from Spanish jaquimahoosegow: 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

jaguar : from Spanish jaguar from Guaraní yaguarjalapeño: from Spanish, a type of spicy chilli named after Jalapa de Enríquez, a town in Mexico, and the capital of the state of Veracruzjerky : 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 ropelasso : from Spanish lazoloco : from loco, =mad, crazyLolita : from the diminutive for Lola, short for Dolores

M

malpais : from Spanish mal paísmesa : from mesa, table. The corresponding Spanish word to a flat top mountain is mesetamescal : from Spanish mezcal, from Nahuatl mexcallimesquite : from Mexican Spanish mezquite, from Nahuatl mizquitlmestizo : from mestizomojito : dim. formed from "mojado" = dipped, or wet, probably referring to the mint in the drinkmole : from Spanish, from Nahuatl molli (="sauce")Montana: from montaña, a mountainmosquito : from mosquito, literally "little fly"mulatto : from Spanish or Portuguese mulatomustang :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 snacknegro : 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) matchesoregano : from orégano

P

pachuco : from pachucopaella : from Spanish paella, from Catalan paella (saucepan)palmetto : from palmitopampa : from Spanish, from Quechua pampa, =plainpapaya : from japaya, akin to Arawak papáiapatio : from patio, inner courtyard, ="an open paved area adjacent to a home"peccadillo :from pecadillo, ="small sin"peccary : from Spanish pecarí, from Guaranípeon : from Spanish peón (="laborer")peyote : from Spanish, from Nahuatl peyotl (="caterpillar")Philippines : from Latin ="islands of king Philip II of Spain", in Spanish Filipinaspiccadill : from picadillopimento or pimiento : from pimientopinta : from pintapiña colada : from Spanish piña = pineapple and colada = enamored with, crazy aboutpisco : from piscoplacer mining : from placer, ="sand bank"platinum : from platina, ="little silver" (now "Platino")playa : from playaplaza : from plaza',' ="public square, spot or place"poncho : from poncho, from Araucanianposada : from posadapotato : from European Spanish patata, itself from batata, = "sweet potato", from Taino and papa, "potato" from Quechuapotrero : from Colonial Spanish potreropronunciamento : from pronunciamiento proclamation, ="military coup d'état", usually establishing a military dictatorship (often a junta)puma : from Spanish, from Quechuapuna : from puna, from Quechua

Q

quadroon : from cuarterónquechua : from Spanish, from Quechua qishwa, valley of temperate weatherQuemada : from Spanish quemadaQuemazon : from Spanish quemazónquesadilla : from quesadilla, diminutive of "queso" = cheesequinoa : from Spanish quinua, from Quechua kinuaquirt : from Spanish cuarta = a short horseman's whip, from "one fourth" (of a vara)

R

ranch : from rancho, a hutreconquista : from reconquista ="reconquest"remuda : from Mexican Spanish remudar, to exchange (horses)renegade : from renegadorincon : from Spanish rincónrobalo : from Spanish róbalo, a tropical marine game and fish foodroble : from Spanish roble= a California oak treerodeo : from rodeo and verb rodear (to go around)rumba : from rumba

S

saguaro : from saguaro, from Pimansalsa : from salsa, ="sauce"sapodilla : from zapotillosarabande : from French sarabande in turn from Spanish zarabandasavanna : from sabana, from Taino zabanasavvy : from Spanish or Portuguese sabe, "knows"shack : perhaps from Mexican Spanish jacal, from Nahuatl xacallisherry : from Old Spanish Xerés [ʃe'ɾes], modern Spanish Jerez [xe'ɾeθ]sierra : from sierra, a sawsiesta : from siesta, ="nap", maybe lusism, from Latin Sexta [hora]silo : from silosombrero : from sombrero (literally, shade maker), ="hat"stampede : from estampidastockade : from a French derivation of the Spanish estacada

T

taco : from tacotamale : from Spanish tamales, pl. of tamal, from Nahuatl tamalli, dumpling made from corn flourtango : from Spanish tango, from Latin tango ="I touch"tapioca : from tapiocaten-gallon hat: from Spanish tan galán = how gallant (looking); alternate theory is the gallon of Texas English here is a misunderstanding of galón = braidtequila : from tequilatilde : from tildetiri : from tirotobacco: from Spanish tabacotomatillo : from Spanish tomatillo, ="small tomate" (see Physalis philadelphica)tomato : from Spanish tomate, from Nahuatl xitomatltoreador : from toreadortorero : from torero, from toro ="bull"tornado : from Spanish tornadotortilla : from tortilla, "little torta" = cake. Currently means "omelet" in Spain; in Spanish America = small cake of either corn meal or wheat flourtuna : 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

W

wrangler : shortened from Spanish caballerango, a groom (for horses)

Z

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

See also

• List of Spanish words of Indigenous American Indian origin

External links

• Montague, Artur, El elemento español en el vocabulario inglés: prolegómenos a una lista. AIH. Actas IV (1971). (in Spanish)
• Online Etymology Dictionary
• Real Academia Española Spanish dictionary