List of Spanish words of various origins

This is a list of Spanish words of various origins. It includes words from Australian Aboriginal languages, Balti, Berber, Caló, Czech, Dravidian languages, Egyptian, Hungarian, Ligurian, Mongolian, Slavic (such as Old Church Slavonic, Polish, Russian, and Croatian). 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.

Australian Aboriginal languages

*canguro= kangaroo: from English "kanguru, kangaroo", first recorded by Captain James Cook in 1770, from the Guugu Yimidhirr word "gangurru".

=Balti=

*polo= polo: from English "polo" (1872), from Balti "polo", "ball," from the same family as Tibetan "bo-lo" "ball."

=Berber=

*merino= type of sheep of North African origin bred in Spain: from Berber "Merīn" (Modern Spanish "Benimerines") the people of North Africa who originallt bred this type of sheep.
*moreno = brown, brunette, dark-skinned person: from "moro", "a Moor," from Latin "Maurus", from Ancient Greek "Maúros", probably of Berber origin, but possibly related to the Arabic "maghrib" "west," which is possibly from the Semitic root '*gh-r-b'
*moro = a Moor: see moreno above

=Caló=

*calé= a gypsy: from Caló "Gypsy, speaker of Romany," see caló below
*caló = Caló, also black, dark-colored: the word is possibly related to Sanskrit "kanlanka" "blemish, macula" and/or Ancient Greek "kelainós" "black."
*cañi= Caló, gypsy: possibly from "cali", feminine of calé and/or caló, see calé and caló above

Dravidian languages

*abalorio = glass bead: from Arabic "al-ballūri" "of the crystal," from "al" "the," + "ballūr" "crystal, beryllium," from Ancient Greek "beryllos" (l and r switched places through metathesis: ballūr from beryllos), from "brullion", from Prakrit "veruliya", from Pāli "veuriya"; possibly from or simply akin to a Dravidian source represented by Tamil "veiruor, viar", "to whiten, become pale." [http://www.bartleby.com/61/74/B0207400.html]
*brillante = brilliant, diamond: from "brillar" "to shine," see brillar below
*brillar = to shine: possibly from Latin "beryllus", "beryllium," from Ancient Greek "beryllos", see abalorio above
*mango= mango: from English "mango", from Portuguese "manga", from Tamil "mānkāy" "mango fruit," from "mān" "mango tree" + "kāy" "fruit."
*mangosta = mongoose: from French "mangouste", from Portuguese "mangús", from Marathi "mangūs" "mongoose," of Dravidian origin.
*paliacate= handkerchief: shortened from "pañuelo de Paliacate", "handkerchief from Paliacte," from Spanish name for Pulicat, a town in the Tiruvallur District, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The Spanish "pañuelo de Paliacate" is a partial calque of French "mouchoirs de Paliacate" (1788).

The Real Academia Española (Spanish Royal Academy) notes that Paliacate comes from the nahualt language. Pal: colour Yacatl: nose.
*paria= pariah, outcast: from Tamil "paraiyan" "pariah," literally "one who plays the drum," (the pariahs of south India were originally a caste of Untouchables that played drums [http://www.bartleby.com/61/12/P0071200.html] ), from "parai" "drum", possibly from parāi "to speak."

=Egyptian=

*aciago = unhappy, sad: probably from Latin "aegyptius dies", "Egptian day," from Ancient Greek "Aigyptiakos" "Egyptian" (adjective), from "Aigyptos", see egipcio below.
*barca = boat, launch, barge: from Late Latin "barca", from Ancient Greek "báris" "flat-bottomed boat, launch" of Egyptian origin.
*barco= boat, ship: from barca, see barca above
*copto= a Copt, the Coptic language: from Arabic "qubt, qibt", "Copts," from Coptic "gyptios", "an Egyptian," from Ancient Greek "Aigýptios" "Egyptian" (adjective), see egipcio below
*egipcio = an Egyptian, of Egypt: from Latin "Aegyptius", from "Aígyptus" "Egypt," from Ancient Greek "Aigyptos", from regional Egyptian "Hikuptah", variant of Egyptian "Hat-kaptah", one of the ancient names of Memphis, Egypt.
*embarcar = to embark, to board a ship: from Late Latin "imbarcare", from "in-" + "barca", see barca above
*gitano= a Gitano, a Gypsy: from Medieval Latin '*"Aegyptanus, from Latin "Aegyptus", see egipcio"' above.
*papel = paper: from Catalán "paper", from Latin "papyrus", "paper, papyrus," see papiro below
*papiro= papyrus: from Latin "papyrus", from Ancient Greek "pápyros", "papyrus," possibly of Egyptian origin.

=Hungarian=

*coche = car: originally, a carriage pulled by two horses, ultimately from Hungarian "kocsi" "carriage, cart," short for "kocsi szekér" "carriage of Kócs," Hungarian city where carriages with suspension were first made.
*sable = a sabre/saber (see spelling differences): from Old High German "sabel", probably derived from Hungarian "szablya" (1393), literally "tool to cut with," from "szabni" "to cut." [cite journal |last=Harper |first=Douglas |title=Online Etymology Dictionary |journal= |year=2001 |volume= |issue= |pages= |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?l=s ]

=Japanese=

*caqui = Diospyros plant, and its fruit, the persimmon: from Japanese "kaki".
*quimono = kimono: from Japanese "kimono" literally "thing to be put on," from "ki" "to put on, wear," + "mono" "thing, person."

=Ligurian=

*hoz = sickle: from Latin "falx" "sickle, scythe," possibly from Ligurian. For the change from f in falx to h in hoz see here.

=Mongolian=

*mongol = a Mongol: from Mongolian "Mongol" "a Mongol," documented first in Chinese "měng-kǔ", from uncertain source.

lavic languages

*cibelina, cebellina = sable: from Old French "zibeline, zibelline", from Italian "zibellino", of Slavic origin: compare Russian "sobol"' and Polish "sobol".
*cuarzo = quartz: from German "Quarz", from Old High German "quarz", from a Western Slavic form '*"kwardy"', from Slavic '*"tvrd": compare Czech "tvrdý" "quartz, hard," Serbian: "тврд / (tvrd)" Polish "twardy", and Russian "tverdy"

=Serbian=

*vampire = vampire and vamp = a dangerously attractive woman: from Austrian German "Vampyre" "vampire," which in turn was borrowed from Serbian "вампир (vampir)", "vampire", "undead".

=Czech=

*pistola = a pistol: from German "Pistole" "pistol," from Czech "pištal", "pistol, tube."

Old Church Slavonic

*calesa = kalesa, a carriage with low wheels and a folding cover: from French "calèche", from German "Kalesche", from Czech "kolesa", "calesa, carriage," from "kolesa" "wheels," plural of "koleso" "wheel," from Old Church Slavonic "kolo" "wheel," IE root '*kwel-' [http://www.bartleby.com/61/roots/IE250.html]

=Polish=

*polaco = a Polack: from Polish "pol-" "field, wide and flat territory."

=Russian=

*rutenio = ruthenium: from Medieval Latin "Ruthenia" "Russia" (the element was discovered in the Urals), from "Rutheni, Ruteni" "Russians," from Old Russian "Rus"' "Russia"

*sputnik = satellite: from Russian "s = with/from + put = road + -nik = derrivative for objects of people carrying out an action (masc.)"

=Croatian=

*corbata = necktie, cravat: from Italian "carvatta" "wool scarf used by Croatian soldiers in the 17th century" with implicit sense "Croatian scarf," from Croatian "hrvat" "Croat, dof Croatia," of uncertain origin, but from the same root as Old Slavic "Chǔrvatinǔ" "Croat."

ee also

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

References

*"Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua española" by Guido Gómez de Silva (ISBN 968-16-2812-8);Notes