List of Spanish words of Basque/Iberian origin

This is a list of Spanish words which are supposed to be of Basque, Iberian origin, or coming from some other pre-roman language in the Iberian Peninsula. Some of these words existed in Latin as loanwords from other languages. Some of these words have alternate etymologies and may also appear on a list of Spanish words from a different language.

List

*abarca "sandal" (cf. Basque "abarka")
*aberzale "patriot" (cf. Basque "abertzale"). Recent loanword
*aizcolari (cf. Basque "aizkolari"). Recent loanword
*alud "avalanche" (cf. Basque "luta" "rockslide", "lurte" "avalanche", fr. "lur" "ground"; not related to "elur" "snow" < pre-Basque *"erur")
*aquelarre "witches' sabbath" (cf. Basque "akelarre" "goat field", fr. "larre" "field" and "aker" "kid")
*ardite "money of little value" (fr. Gasc "ardit", fr. Basque "ardít")
*arroyo "stream" (cf. LL "arrugia")
*azcona "hand-thrown weapon used in past times"
*ascua "embers" (cf. Basque "askuo, askua", fr. "hauts" "cinder")
*bacalao "cod" (< Ned "bakeljauw", cf. Basque "bakailao")
*barranca/barranco
*barro "clay, mud"
*batúa
*bayoneta
*becerro "yearling calf" (< OSp "bezerro" "bull"; cf. Basque "bei" "cow" + "zekor" "bullock")
*bizarro "galant, spirited" (cf. Basque "bizar" "beard")
*boina "beret" (cf. LL "abonnis" "cap")
*bruces, caer de "headlong, to fall"
*cachorro "puppy" (cf. Basque "txakur" "whelp")
*calimotxo "a type of punch (drink)". Recent loanword
*cama "bed"
*cazurro
*cencerro "cowbell" (cf. Basque "zinzerri" "animal bell")
*chabola (< Fr "geôle"; cf. Basque "txabola")
*chacolí, type of basque wine. Recent loanword
*chamorro "close-cropped"
*chaparro "dwarf oak" (cf. Basque "txapar")
*chaparrón
*chapela, type of basque cap. Recent loanword
*charco "puddle"
*charro "crude" (cf. Basque "txar" "bad, faulty")
*chasco
*chatarra "scrap" (cf. Basque "txatar" "old iron")
*chiquito
*chirimbolo "circular slice" (cf. Basque "txirimbol")
*churre "thick grease" (cf. Basque "txur" "miserly, economical")
*chistera
*cococha "cod's chin"
*conejo "rabbit" (< Lat "cuniculus"; cf. Basque "untxi" "rabbit", from earlier *"kuntxi")
*ertzaina, "basque policeman". Recent loanword
*ertzaintza, "basque police". Recent loanword
*gabarra (cf. Basque "kabarra", fr. Latin "carabus", fr. Gk "kárabos")
*galápago "tortoise"
*garma "scree, steep mountain slope"
*garrapata "tick" (cf. Basque "gapar, kapar" "briar")
*gazapo "young rabbit"
*gordo "fat"
*guijarro "pebble" (cf. Basque "gisuarri" "limestone")
*gusano, gusarapo "maggot, caterpillar" (cf. Basque "zizain" "worm" < Medieval Basque *"zizani")
*ikastola, "Basquelanguage school". Recent loanword
*izquierda "left" (cf. Basque "ezker")
*laya "spade" (cf. Basque "laía")
*legaña "rheum" (cf. Basque "lakaiña" "cord, roughness, knob on a tree", formerly "strand")
*madroño "strawberry tree"
*manteca "lard"
*maraña "thicket"
*mochil
*muérdago
*narria "sledge" (cf. Basque "nar, narra" "towing, sled")
*nava "marshy valley, plain" (cf. Basque "naba")
*órdago "Mus card game expression pronnounced when you win" (cf. Basque "or dago" "there it is")
*páramo "moor"
*parque "park"
*parra "vine, trellis"
*parranda "fiesta"
*pelotari, "player of Pelota". Recent loanword
*perro "dog"
*pestaña "eyelash" (cf. Basque "pizta" "rheum", "piztule" "eyelash")
*pitarra, pitaña "rheum" (cf. Basque "pitar" "rheum")
*pizarra "slate" (cf. Basque "pizar" "fragment")
*sapo "toad"
*sarna "scabies"
*sarro "tooth plaque"
*silo (cf. Basque "zilo, zulo" "dugout, cave or shelter for keeping grain")
*socarrar "to scorch" (cf. Basque (dial. and arch.) "sukarr, sukarra" "flames, fire", fr. "su" "fire" and "karr, karra" "flame"
*soca-tira, "game of Tug of war". Recent loanword
*urraca "magpie"
*vasco "basque"
*vega "river-plain" (cf. Basque "ibaiko" "bank", from "bai" "river")
*vizcaíno
*zamarra/chamarra (cf. Basque "zamar" "fleece")
*zanca "bird leg, slim leg", zanco "stilt" (cf. Basque "zango" "leg")
*zapato "shoe"
*zarrio "excessively adorned" (cf. Basque "txar" "bad, faulty") (or of Arabic origin)
*zarza "bramble" (cf. Basque "sartzia")
*zatico/zatillo "piece of bread" (cf. Basque "zati")
*zorra "fox" (cf. Basque "azaria", from "lazy")
*zulo "hole" (cf. Basque "zulo"). Recent loanword
*zurdo "left-handed" (cf. Basque "zur" "stingy, miserly", "zurrun" "inflexible, hard")
*zurrón "sack" (cf. Basque "zorro")

ee also

*Linguistic history of Spanish
*List of English words of Spanish origin

References

*Corominas, Juan. "Breve diccinario etimológico de la lengua castellaña", 2nd ed. Madrid: Editorial Gredos, S.A., 1967.
*Gómez de Silva, Guida. "Elsevier's Concise Spanish Etymological Dictionary". New York: Elsevier, 1985.