List of English words of Spanish origin

This is a list of French 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

abaca

via Spanish from Tagalog abaká

abalone

from Spanish abulón, from Ohlone aulon

adobe

from Spanish, from Arabic al-tob, from Coptic tube, "brick"

adobo

from adobo, "marinade"

adiós

from adiós, "goodbye", from "a Dios vos encomiendo" = "I commend you to God", akin to French adieu, Italian addio

achiote

from Spanish, from Nahuatl achiotl

aficionado

from aficionado, "enthusiast"

agouti

via French or from Spanish aguti, from Tupi akuti

Alameda

from alameda meaning lined with or covered by alamo trees

Alamo

from alamo an elm or poplar tree, from Latin alnus "alder"

albino

from Spanish or Portuguese, from Latin albus, "white"

albondigas

Spanish, from Arabic al-bunduq, "hazel nut"

alcalde

Spanish, from Arabic al-kadi, "the judge"

alcazar

Spanish, from Arabaic al-kasr "fortress", this from Latin castra (same meaning)

alcove

alfalfa

from Spanish, from Arabic al-fisfisa, fresh fodder

algebra

from Italian, Spanish and medieval Latin, from Arabic al-jabr, "the reunion of broken parts," "bone setting," from jabara, "reunite, restore"

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

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 armed one"

arroyo

from arroyo, "stream"

avocado

alteration of Spanish aguacate, from Nahuatl ahuacatl

ayahuasca

Aztec

B

banana

from Spanish or Portuguese banana, probably from a Wolof word - Arabic "ba' nana" fingers

bandoleer

from Spanish bandolera, ="band (for a weapon or other) that crosses from one shoulder to the opposite hip" and bandolero, ="he who wears a bandoleer"

barbecue

from the Chibcha word barbacoa

barracuda

from barracuda

barranca

from barranca

barriada

from barriada

barrio

from Spanish barrio, "neighborhood", from Arabic barri

bastinado

from bastonada

bodega

from Spanish and/or Portuguese bodega

bolas

from Spanish bolas, =balls

bolero

from Spanish bolero

bonanza

from bonanza

bonito

from bonito

booby

from 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 caballero

cabana

from Spanish cabaña or Portuguese cabana

cacique

from Spanish, from Taino

cafeteria

from cafetería, "coffee store"

calaboose

from Louisiana French calabouse, from Spanish calabozo

caldera (used in geology)

from Spanish caldera, "=cauldron"

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

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)

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

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

coquina

from coquina

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 cumbia

D

demarcation

from Spanish demarcación, as in demarcation problem or demarcation point

dengue

from Spanish dengue, from Swahili dinga, ="seizure"

desaparecidos

from Spanish, ="missing"

desperado

alteration of Spanish desesperado, ="desperate"

don

from Spanish Don, title of respect (as in Don Juan and Don Quixote). Now used for the upper echelon of some British universities.

duende

from Spanish dialect, charm, from Spanish, ghost, goblin, probably from duen de casa, from dueño de casa owner of a house

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

Elephant and Castle

Funny English corruption of La Infanta de Castile the Spanish princess royal

Embarcadero

from embarcadero a boat dock

embargo

from Spanish embargar ="to bar"

F

fajita

from fajita

fandango

from fandango

fargo

from fardo ="bundle"

fiesta

from Spanish, =festival or holiday

filibuster

from Spanish filibustero, ="pirate", from French flibustier, from Dutch vrijbuiter, ="freebooter"

Filipino, -a

from filipino, -a, belonging or from the Islas Filipinas ="Philippine islands"

flamenco (dance)

from flamenco

flamingo

from Portuguese or Old Spanish flamengo. Current Spanish spelling is flamenco.

fletcher

from flecha, an arrow, and flechero an arrow-maker

Florida

from flor (="flower") then florida (="flowered one")

flotilla

from flota (="fleet") then flotilla (="little fleet")

frijol

from frijol, bean.

G

galleon

from Spanish galeón

gallea

from Spanish galera

gaucho

from Spanish, from Quechua huachu, ="orphan"

grenade

from the Spanish province of Grenada

guacamole

from Spanish, from Nahuatl ahuacatl then Spanish aguacate (="avocado") and mole (="mash")

guanaco

from Spanish, from Quechua wanacu

guano

from Spanish, from Quechua huanu, ="dung"

guava

from guaba, guayaba, perhaps from Taino

guerrilla

from guerrilla, "little war"

guitar

from Portuguese/Spanish guitarra, from Latin cythara

H

hacienda

from hacienda

hammock

from Spanish hamaca, from Arawak

hombre

from hombre

hoosegow

from juzgado =court of law, also past participle of juzgar "to judge".

hurricane

from Spanish huracán, from Taino (Juracán is the Taino god of storms) (from Quiché)

I

Inca

from Spanish inca, from Quechua

incommunicado

from incomunicado

iguana

from Spanish iguana from Arawak

J

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

Loco

from loco, =mad, crazy

M

machete

a Portuguese/Spanish diminutive formed from macho, =male (maybe macho is a lusism in Spanish)

machismo

from macho, =male

macho

from macho, =male

maize

from Spanish maíz from Taino mahís

Majordomo

from Spanish mayordomo

mantilla

from mantilla

maquila

from maquila, ="share of product kept by the miller", from Arabic makīlah, "thing that have been measured"

maquiladora

from maquila

maravedi

from maravedi

margarita

from Margarita, ="daisy or Margaret", from Greek "pearl".

mariachi

from Spanish, from French mariage ="marriage", a type of musical group and its players, originally from Mexico

marijuana

from Spanish marihuana

maroon

from cimarrón(="wild")

matador

from matador (="killer")

mate

from Spanish, from Quechua mati, ="small squash"

mesa

from mesa, table. The corresponding Spanish word to a flat top mountain is meseta

mescal

from Spanish mezcal, from Nahuatl mexcalli

mestizo

from mestizo

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

nada

from Portuguese/Spanish nada, = "nothing"

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

the Pacific (Ocean)

from Spanish Océano Pacífico, it was discovered in 1513 by Vasco Núñez de Balboa

pachuco

from pachuco

paella

from Spanish paella, from Catalan paella (saucepan)

palmetto

from palmito

pampa

from Spanish, from Quechua pampa, =plain

papaya

from papaya, 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

pendejo

from pendejo a pubic hair (per the RAE)

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

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

quinoa

from Spanish quinua, from Quechua kinua

R

ranch

from rancho

reconquista

from reconquista ="reconquest"

remuda

from Mexican Spanish remudar, to exchange (horses)

renegade

from renegado

robalo

from Spanish róbalo, a tropical marine game and food fish

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

saraband

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

solo

from solo, byyourself.

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

tequila

from tequila

terrace

from terraza

tilde

from tilde

tiri

from tiro

tobacco

from Spanish tabaco

tomatillo

from Spanish tomatillo, ="small tomate" (see Physalis ixocarpa)

tomato

from Spanish tomate, from Nahuatl xitomatl

toreador

from toreador

torero

from torero

tornado

from Spanish tornado

tortilla

from tortilla, "little torta" = currently "omelet" in Spain but not in Spanish America

tuna

from Spanish atún, from Arabic tun, from Latin thunnus, from Greek θύννος, thynnos (=tuna fish)

turista

from turista ="tourist"

V

vamoose

from vamos, a form of "to go"

vanilla

from vainilla

vicuña

from Spanish, from Quechua wikunna

Y

yam

from ñame--possibly from Portuguese inhame

yerba mate

from Spanish, ="mate grass" (see also Mate)

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