Spanish Language & History

The history of the Spanish language and the origin of the dialects of Spain begin with the
linguistic evolution of Vulgar Latin. Castilian & Andalusian dialects emerged in the Iberian
peninsula (Hispania) during the middle ages. The emergence of modern Spanish more or less
coincided with the re conquest of Moorish Spain which was completed by Isabella of Castile &
Ferdinand of Aragn.

Spanish Language
Spanish is the native language of 332 million people in the world. In addition to Spain, Spanish
is the official language of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican
Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua,
Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. In addition, it is widely spoken in several
other nations, including Canada, Morocco, the Philippines, and the United States.
Spanish is one of the Romance languages in the Italic subfamily of the Indo-European language
family, and within Spain, and has two major dialects: Andalusian and Castilian. Many other
dialects exist in other geographical areas, namely North and South America.

History of the Spanish Language & Vulgar Latin

The Spanish language originated in the Southwest region of Europe known as the Iberian
Peninsula. Sometime before the end of the 6th century BC, the region's first inhabitants, the
Iberians, began to mingle with the Celts, a nomadic people from central Europe. The two groups
formed a people called the Celtiberians, speaking a form of Celtic.
Under Roman rule, in 19 BC, the region became known as Hispania, and its inhabitants learned
Latin from Roman traders, settlers, administrators, and soldiers. When the classical Latin of the
educated Roman classes mixed with the pre-Roman languages of the Iberians, Celts, and
Carthaginians, a language called Vulgar Latin appeared. It followed the basic models of Latin but
borrowed and added words from the other languages.
Even after the Visigoths, Germanic tribes of Eastern Europe, invaded Hispania in the AD 400s,
Latin remained the official language of government and culture until about AD 719, when
Arabic-speaking Islamic groups from Northern Africa called Moors completed their conquest of
the region. Arabic and a related dialect called Mozarabic came to be widely spoken in Islamic
Spain except in a few remote Christian kingdoms in the North such as Asturias, where Vulgar
Latin survived.
During the succeeding centuries, the Christian kingdoms gradually reconquered Moorish Spain,
retaking the country linguistically as well as politically, militarily, and culturally. As the
Christians moved South, their Vulgar Latin dialects became dominant. In particular, Castilian, a
dialect that originated on the Northern Central plains, was carried into Southern and Eastern
regions.

Castilian & Andalusian

The resulting language was a hybrid because Castilian borrowed many words from Mozarabic,
and modern Spanish has an estimated 4,000 words with Arabic roots.
The creation of a standardized Spanish language based on the Castilian dialect began in the
1200s with King Alfonso X, who was called the Learned King of Castile and Leon. He and his
court of scholars adopted the city of Toledo, a cultural centre in the central highlands, as the base
of their activities. There, scholars wrote original works in Castilian and translated histories,
chronicles, and scientific, legal, and literary works from other languages (principally Latin,
Greek, and Arabic). Indeed, this historic effort of translation was a major vehicle for the
dissemination of knowledge throughout ancient Western Europe. Alfonso X also adopted
Castilian for administrative work and all official documents and decrees.
The Castilian dialect of Spanish gained wider acceptance during the reign of the Catholic
monarchs Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Arag n, who completed the re-conquest of Spain
in 1492 by pushing the Moors from their last stronghold in the southern city of Granada. Isabella
and Ferdinand made Castilian the official dialect in their kingdom. In the same year the Moors
were defeated, an important book appeared: Antonio de Nebrija's Arte de la lengua castellana
(The Art of the Castilian Language). It was the first book to study and attempt to define the
grammar of a European language.
The Castilian dialect of Toledo became the written and educational standard in Spain, even
though several spoken dialects remained. The most noteworthy was Andalusian, a dialect spoken
in the southern city of Seville in the Andaluc a region.

Spanish around the World

Spanish in the Americas
Beginning in the 1400s, Spanish explorers, conquistadors, and colonizers carried their language
to Central America, South America, and parts of North America.
Both the Castilian and Andalusian dialects made the trip. Castilian was used in administrative
and cultural centers such as Mexico City, Mexico; Potos, Bolivia; and Lima, Peru. These cities
retained close links to the Spanish capital of Madrid, which was in the Castile region. But
because many of the people involved in expeditions were from Andaluca, the Andalusian dialect
also traveled to the Spanish colonies. It became dominant in Argentina and Central America,
which were regions remote from the influence of the Spanish government's administrative
centers. Spain lost control of its American colonies in the 1800s, but the Spanish language
remained and is now the official language of almost every Latin American nation.

The Spanish spoken in the Americas differs somewhat from European Spanish today because
many words were borrowed from the languages of the indigenous peoples. Most of these words
reflect features unique to the new territories, such as proper names, plants and animals, and
geographic features.

Spanish Language in the United States

In 1565 Spanish conquerors and explorers established the settlement of Saint Augustine in what
is now Florida. It was the first permanent European settlement in what is now the United States.
In the 1600s and 1700s Spanish explorations and settlements extended the Spanish language
North from Mexico into present-day Arizona, California, Southern Colorado, New Mexico, and
Texas. When the United States annexed these areas following the Mexican War (1846-1848),
many of the region's Spanish-speaking inhabitants remained, creating a distinct linguistic and
cultural population in the Southwestern United States.
After the Spanish-American War (1898), the United States gained control over Cuba, Guam, the
Philippines, and Puerto Rico. Over time, many Spanish speakers from these countries moved to
the mainland of North America. The immigrants primarily settled in neighborhoods in California,
Florida, New York, and New Jersey, where they continued to use Spanish.
Immigration by Spanish speakers further increased during the 20th century. Many legal and
illegal immigrants crossed the border between Mexico and the United States to work in
agriculture and industry, and other immigrants fled political instability in Chile, Cuba, El
Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. Also, many Latin American students came to North
America to study at colleges and universities.
The presence of Spanish in American culture grew throughout the late 20th century. As more
native Spanish speakers sent their children to school, elementary and high schools established
bilingual classes. Television executives also recognized the Spanish-speaking market and created
television networks and shows in Spanish. The government printed forms and tests in Spanish.
By the 1990s more than 17 million people in the United States spoke Spanish as their primary
language at home.

Spanish Language in the Philippines

In the Philippines, which were incorporated into the Spanish Empire in the mid-16th century,
Spanish served as the language of the ruling class, of civil and judicial administration, and of
culture. Because Mexico often mediated communication between the Philippines and Spain,
Philippine Spanish in general is similar to the Castilian dialect used in Mexico. In 1898, at the
conclusion of the Spanish-American war, Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States. For
many years afterwards, Spanish was one of the official languages of the Philippines, along with
English and Tagalog. Today, Spanish is no longer an official language, and its usage has
gradually declined.1
1 https://www.alsintl.com/resources/languages/spanish/

English words of Spanish origin

A
abaca
via Spanish abac from Tagalog abak
abalone
from Spanish abuln, from Ohlone aluan or Rumsen awlun.

adios
from Spanish 'adis' meaning "goodbye"

adobe
From Egyptian via Arabic "Al-tub"
aficionado
from past participle of aficionar, to inspire affection, from aficin affection, from Latin affection-, aff
ectio, from afficere .

albatross
from alcatraz, see below.

Alcalde
from alcalde, magistrate.
Alcatraz
(meaning "gannet") from Arabic al-as ("the diver")

alidade
via French, Spanish alidada and Medieval Latin alhidade from Arabic alidada, "the revolving radius"

alligator
from el lagarto, "the lizard"

alpaca
from Spanish, from Aymara allpaka/allpaqa

aludel
from Old French alutel, via Spanish and Medieval Latin from Arabic alul, "the sublimation vessel"

amigo
from Spanish and/or Portuguese amigo, "friend"; from Latin amicus meaning "friend," derived fro
m amare (to love).

amole
Mexican Spanish from Nahautl amolli meaning "soap root."[1]

amontillado
from the village of Montilla, Province of Crdoba, Spain
ancho
from Mexican Spanish (chile) ancho, "wide (chili)"

anchovy
from Spanish anchoa or more probably Portuguese anchova meaning "bluefish"; from Genoese o
r Corsican dialect;ultimately from Latin apua meaning "small fish" and Greek aphye meanin
g "small fry" or from Basque anchuvameaning "dry"[2]
Angeleno
from American Spanish

Apache
from Mexican Spanish from Yavapai epache meaning "people" or from Zuni apachu" meaning
"enemy"[3]

armada
"armed [fleet]" from the Spanish navy, La armada espaola

armadillo
from armadillo, "little armored one"

arroyo
from arroyo, "stream"

avocado
alteration of Spanish aguacate, from Nahuatl ahuacatl.

ayahuasca
via Spanish from Quechua ayawaska meaning "soul vine."

B
banana
from Spanish or Portuguese banana, probably from a Wolof word,[4] or from Arabic ba na
na fingers[5]

bandolier
from Spanish bandolera, meaning "band (for a weapon or other) that crosses from one shoulder t
o the opposite hip"and bandolero, loosely meaning "he who wears a bandolier"

barbecue
from the Chibcha word barbacoa

barracuda
from barracuda May have come from barraco, meaning overlapping tooth

barranca
from Spanish barranca or barranco, ravine

barrio
from Spanish barrio, "neighborhood", from Arabic barri, wild

bastinado
from bastonada, from Spanish bastn, cane

bodega
from Spanish and/or Portuguese bodega, meaning cellar

bodegn
from bodega

bolero
from Spanish bolero

bonanza
from bonanza meaning "prosperity"

bonito
from Spanish bonito, meaning "beautiful"

breeze
from brisa "cold northeast wind" or from Frisian briesen - to blow (wind)[6]

bronco
from bronco meaning "coarse"

buckaroo
from vaquero meaning "cowboy"

burrito
from burrito, a dish originally from Northern Mexico, literally "little donkey"
burro
from burro, "donkey"

C
caballero
from Spanish caballero meaning "knight/gentleman", from caballo, "horse", celtic caballos "horse"
.

cabana
from Spanish cabaa or Portuguese cabana; both meaning "cabin."

cacique
from Spanish, from Taino cacike or Arawak kassequa, both meaning a chief

cafeteria
from cafetera, "coffee store"
calaboose
from Vulgar
Latin calafodium "to dig a protected place" and Louisiana French calabouse, from Spanish ca
labozo[7]

caldera (used in geology)

from Spanish caldera meaning "cauldron" from Latin caldaria, "cooking pot."

California
place name first seen in print in 1510 Spanish novel 'Las sergas de Esplandin' by Garci

Rodrguez de Montalvo
camarilla
from camarilla, "small room"

camino
from camino a path or road, from Celtic cammanos "road".
cannibal
from Spanish canbal, alteration of carbal, from Caribe

canoe
from Spanish canoa, from Haitian canaoua

canyon
from can meaning "a pipe, tube, gorge" from cano, "tube;" ultimately from Latin canna meaning
"reed."[8]

carabao
from Spanish from Visayan language kalabaw, from Malay language kerabau.

caramba
from Spanish, meaning "heck"; expression of dread, displeasure, or disapproval, euphemism for
carajo

carbonado
from carbonada, from carbn meaning "coal"

cargo
from the verb cargar meaning "to load"

Caribbean
from Spanish Caribe, from name of Carib Indians of the region.

cassava
from cazabe, from Taino cabi

caudillo
from caudillo, from Latin capitellium "head" meaning "leader"

cedilla
from cedilla, archaic spelling zedilla (little z), "elsewhere"

chaparral
from Spanish, chaparro loosely meaning small evergreen oak, from Basque txapar, "small, short"
chaps
from Mexican Spanish chaparreras, leg protectors for riding through chaparral

chayote
from Spanish, literally: "squash", from Nahuatl chayotl meaning "spiny squash"

chicha
from Spanish chicha, from Kuna chichab, meaning "maize" or from Nahuatl chichiatl, "fermented
water."

chicle
from chicle "gum", from Nahuatl tzictli "squishy stuff" or Mayan tsicte.[9]
chile
from Spanish chile, from Nahuatl chilli

chipotle
from Spanish, smoked jalapeo, from Nahuatl chilpoctli

chocolate

from Spanish chocolate, from Nahuatl xocolatl meaning "hot water" or from a combination of the
Mayan word chocolmeaning "hot" and the Nahuatl word atl meaning "water."

Choctaw
from the native name Chahta of unknown meaning but also said to come from Spanish chato (="fl
attened") because ofthe tribe's custom of flattening the heads of male infants.[10]

chorizo
from chorizo, "sausage"

churro
from churro, "fritter"

cienega or cienaga
from cinaga, "spring"

cigar
from Spanish cigarro meaning "fag UK), stogie, stogy", from Mayan sicar or sic, "tobacco"

cigarette
from French cigarette "little weed", diminutive of French cigare "stogie", from Spanish cigarro mea
ning "fag (UK),stogie, stogy."
cilantro
from Spanish cilantro, "coriander"

coca
from Spanish, coca meaning "coke", from Quechua kka

cockroach
from Spanish cucaracha
cocoa or cacao
from Spanish cacao, from Nahuatl cachuatl

cojones
from Spanish cojones meaning "balls, testicles", to denote courage

Colorado
from Spanish colorado, red or colored

comrade
from French camarade meaning "friend", from Spanish camarada, "pal, mate"

condor
from Spanish, from Quechua cuntur

conquistador
from conquistador meaning "conqueror", from conquista, "conquest"

coquina
from coquina, dim. form of "concha" meaning seashell; a sedimentary rock of NE Florida

cordillera
from cordillera, "range"
corral
from corral meaning "pen, yard" from Portuguese curral meaning "pen" of unknown; perhaps ulti
mately from Afrikaanskraal or from Vulgar Latin currale loosely meaning "enclosure for vehicles."[
11]

corrida
a bullfight (literally: "race")
coyote
from Spanish coyote, from Nahuatl coyotl

creole
from French crole, from Spanish criollo, from Portuguese crioulo, raised in the house

crimson
from Old Spanish cremesn, via Medieval
Latin cremesinus from Arabic qirmizI, from Persian qermezkermes; ultimately from
Sanskrit krmi-ja meaning "worm-made."[12]
crusade
blend of Middle
French croisade and Spanish cruzada; both ultimately from Latin cruc-, crux cross
cuadrilla
from cuadrilla, group of people

cumbia
from Spanish cumbia, a popular dance (for couples) originating in Colombia, Panama and Arg

entina
D
daiquiri
from Daiquiri, a port city in eastern Cuba
dengue

from Spanish dengue meaning "fever", from Swahili dinga, "seizure"

derecho
from Spanish derecho meaning "straight", a widespread and long-lived convection-induced straig
ht-line windstorm

descamisado
from Spanish descamisado, "without a shirt"

desperado
from Spanish desesperado, desperate

E
El Dorado
from El Dorado, literally, "the golden one"
El Nio
from El Nio de la Navidad, literally, "the Christmas child" due to the warming of Pacific waters se
emed to warmaround Christmas

embarcadero
from embarcadero a boat dock

embargo
from Spanish embargar, to "seize" or "impound"

escabeche
from escabeche, "pickle"

escopeteros
from Spanish escopetero, "musketeer"

F
Federales
from Federales, "federal police"

fiesta
from the Spanish fiesta meaning "party"

Florida
from La Florida, the flowery or plant-filled place or pascua florida, "flowery Easter."

flotilla

diminutive of flota, "fleet"

G
gaucho
from Mapuche "Argentine cowboy"

guacamole
via American Spanish from Nahuatl ahuaca-molli ("avocado sauce")[13]

guerrilla
from Spanish "small war"

gordita
from Spanish "little fat girl"

H
habanero
from the Spanish for the name of the Cuban city of La Habana, which is known as Havana in Eng
lish. Although it isnot the place of origin, it was frequently traded there.

hacienda
from Old Spanish facienda, "estate"

hackamore
from Spanish jaquima, "halter."

hola
Spanish greeting, equivalent to "hello"

hombre
from Spanish "hombre", man
hoosegow
from Spanish juzgado, courthouse, from juzgar, to judge
hurricane
from Spanish huracn, from Taino hurkan; akin to Arawak kulakani, thunder

I
Inca
from Spanish inca, from Quechua Inka, literally: "lord, king."[14]

incommunicado
from incomunicado, without communication (in the mountains, in the jail,...), "in solitary confineme
nt."
iguana
from Spanish iguana from Arawak iwana.

J
jade
from Spanish piedra de ijada, "stone of flank."

jalapeo
from Spanish, a type of spicy chilli named after Jalapa de Enrquez, a town in Mexico, and the ca
pital of the state ofVeracruz

jerky
from Spanish charqui, from Quechua ch'arki, "dried flesh"

junta
from Spanish junta literally "joint"; a board of joint administration; sometimes used to refer to milit
ary officerscommand in a coup d'tat. As an adjective, it means "together".

K
key
from Spanish cayo, from Taino cayo (this is English 'key'/'cay'/'quay' as in an island, reef or a link
ed series of them,not the 'key' with which one locks/unlocks doors)

L
La Nia, "The little girl", complementary weather pattern to (qv) El Nio
lariat
from la reata, meaning "the strap, rein, or rope" from reatar ("to tie again") from atar "to tie (up);" f
rom Latin aparte, "tojoin."[15]

lasso
via American
English from Spanish lazo meaning "tie;" ultimately from Latin laqueum, "noose, snare."[16]

llama
from Spanish llama, from Quechua llama
Llanos, Los

from Spanish llano (plain); vast tropical grassland plain situated to the east of the Andes in Colom
bia and Venezuela.

loco
from loco, "mad" or "crazy"
Lolita
from the diminutive for Lola, short for Dolores

M
macho
from macho, male, brave, the property of being overtly masculine. In Spanish is masculinity

majordomo
via Spanish mayordomo or Italian maggiordomo (both meaning "butler") from Latin maior domus
meaning "mayor of theplace."
Mano
from mano, "hand". Stone handtool
Marijuana
from Mexican Spanish - ultimate derivation unknown
matador
from matador meaning "killer" from matar ("to kill") probably from Arabic mata meaning "he di
ed", also possiblycognate with Persian mordan, "to die" as well as English "murder." Another
theory is that the word "matador" isderived from a combination of the Vulgar Latin mattre, from L
ate Latin mactare (to slaughter, kill) and the Latin -tor(which is cognate with Greek -tr and S
anskrit -tar-.)[17]

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

mesquite
from Mexican Spanish mezquite, from Nahuatl mizquitl

mestizo
from mestizo, "racially mixed." in Spanish, refers to a person of mixed European-native American
descent

mojito
dim. formed from "mojado" (wet or dripping) probably referring to the mint leaves in the well know
n Cuban drink

mole
from Spanish, from Nahuatl molle or molli ("sauce")

Montana
from montaa, a mountain
mosquito
from mosquito, literally "little fly"

mulatto
from Spanish or Portuguese mulato meaning "octoroon, sambo". in Spanish, refers to a person of
mixed European-African descent.

mustang
from mestengo or mesteo, "without known master or owner" (archaic)
mustee
from mestizo, "racially mixed."

N
nacho
from Nacho, a nickname for the given name Ignacio, inventor of the snack

nada
from "Nada" meaning " nothing."[18]

negro
from Spanish, Portuguese, or Italian negro, "black", from Latin Nigrum (nom. Niger) and Greek
Negros, bothmeaning "black.".[19] In Spanish it is not derogatory.

Nevada
from Nevada literally "snowy"

nostromo
from nuestro amo, "our master".

O
ol
an interjection, an expression of approval or triumph, similar to the Italian bravo (capable), by sp
ectators of bull fightsor football (soccer) matches

oregano
from organo, "marjoram"

P
pachuco
from pachuco, "fancy-dresser."

paella
from Spanish paella, from Valencian paella "pan" and originated in Latin patella, also meaning "p
an."

palmetto
from palmito, "palm heart, little palm", diminutive form of the word for palm.

pampa
from Spanish, from Quechua pampa, plain

papaya
from japaya, akin to Arawak papia

pramo
from Spanish pramo (moorland)

patio
from patio, inner courtyard, "an open paved area adjacent to a home"

peccadillo
from pecadillo, "small sin"

peccary
from Spanish pecar, from Carib pakira or paquira.[20]

peon
from Spanish pen ("laborer")

peyote
from Spanish, from Nahuatl peyotl ("caterpillar")

Philippines
via Spanish Filipinas from Latin Philippinae, "islands of king Philip II of
Spain"; ultimately from Greek Philippinai from the Greek phrase F
los ppos Niis, "Islands of the Horse Friend."

piccadill
from picadillo, "hash"

pimento or pimiento

from pimiento, "pepper."

pia colada
from Spanish pia (pineapple), and colada, which means strained, from the Spanish verb colar
("to strain")

piata
from piata ("jug, pot") from Latin pinea, "pine cone."[21]

pion or pinyon
from pion, "pine"
pinta
from pinta, "he/she/it paints"; also archaic Spanish for pintada, "painted"
Piragua
from the combination of Spanish words Pirmide ("pyramid") and Agua meaning "water"[22]

pisco
from pisco, "turkey"

placer mining
from placer, "sand bank"

platinum
from platina, "little silver" (now "Platino")
playa
from playa, "beach"

plaza
from plaza, "public square, spot or place"

politico
from Spanish or Italian politico meaning "politician, political agent;"[23] ultimately from Latin politic
us meaning "ofcitizens or the state, civil, civic," from Greek (Ancient
Greek: ) politikos, "of citizens or the state,"from (plural: ) polites (citizen)
from polis, "city."[24]

poncho
from poncho, from Araucanian pontho meaning "woolen fabric."[25]

potato
from European Spanish patata, itself from batata, "sweet
potato", from Taino and papa, "potato" from Quechua

potrero
from potrero, archaic term for "tongue of land"

pronto
from Spanish "soon, prompt"

pronunciamento
from pronunciamiento proclamation, "military coup d'tat", usually establishing a military
dictatorship (often a junta)

puma
from Spanish "cougar, panther", from Quechua

pueblo
via Castilian pueblo from Latin populus ("people").

Q
quadroon
from cuartern, "fourth"

quesadilla
from quesadilla loosely meaning a traditional Mexican dish made with tortillas and cheese, diminu
tive of "queso",cheese.

Quetzal
from Spanish, from Nahuatl "quetzalli": a group of colourful birds of the trogon family found in trop
ical regions of theAmericas. It also may refer to Guatemalan
quetzal, the currency of Guatemala.

quinoa
from Spanish quinua, from Quechua kinua

Quinceaera
From Spanish Quince aos, literally: "fifteen years"; a girl's fifteenth birthday celebration similar to
a sweet sixteen;with special rituals

Quixotism
from fictional character Don Quixote

quirt
from Spanish cuarta literally: "quarter"; a short horseman's whip, from "one fourth" (of a vara)

ranch
from rancho, a very small rural community, smaller than a town; also a very humble dwelling in S
outh America.

reconquista
from reconquista, "reconquest"
remuda
from Mexican Spanish remudar, to exchange (horses)

renegade
from renegado, "turncoat, heretic, disowned"
rincon
from rincn, "meadow"
robalo
from Spanish rbalo meaning "bass, sea wolf," a tropical marine game and fish food
roble
from Spanish roble, 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

sarabande
from French sarabande in turn from Spanish zarabanda

savanna
from sabana, "veld", from Taino zabana

savvy

from Spanish or Portuguese sabe, "knows"; sabio, wise, learned.

shack
perhaps from Mexican Spanish jacal meaning "hut", from Nahuatl xacalli

sherry
from Old Spanish Xers [ees], modern Spanish Jerez [xee].

Sierra
from sierra, a mountain range

siesta
from siesta, "nap", from Latin Sexta [hora] "sixth hour"

silo
from silo

sombrero
from sombrero (literally, shade maker), "hat"

stampede
from estampida

stevedore
from estibador (literally, one who stuffs), "ship loader"

stockade
from a French derivation of the Spanish estocada, "stab"

T
taco
from taco, "plug"[26]

tamale
from Spanish tamales, pl. of tamal, from Nahuatl tamalli meaning dumpling made from corn flour
tango
from Spanish tango.

tapioca
from tapioca, "cassava"

ten-gallon hat
from Spanish tan galn meaning "so gallant (looking)"; alternate theory is the gallon of Texas Eng
lish here is amisunderstanding of galn meaning braid

temblor
Spanish for trembling, or earthquake; from temblar, to shake, from Vulgar Latin *tremulre, from L
atin tremulus

tequila
from tequila

telenovela, or telenovella
from telenovela, "soap opera"

tilde
from tilde

tobacco
from Spanish (Nahuatl influenced) tabaco, "snuff", .

tomatillo
from Spanish tomatillo, "small tomato" (see Physalis philadelphica)

tomato
from Spanish tomate, from Nahuatl xitomatl

torero
from toro, "bull"

tornado
from Spanish tronada, "thunderstorm", influenced by tornar, "to turn"

tortilla
from tortilla, "little cake". Currently means "omelet" in Spain; in Spanish America = small cake of e
ither corn meal orwheat flour
tostada (toast) and tostada (tortilla)
from tostada, "toasted"

tuna
from Spanish atn, from Arabic tun, from Latin thunnus, from Greek , thynnos (=tuna
fish)
turista
from turista, "tourist"

V
vamoose

from vamos, meaning "let's go"

vanilla
from Spanish vainilla, diminutive of Latin vaina, from vagina meaning "pod"[27]

Vertigo
from the Spanish word Vrtigo

vicua
from Spanish, from Quechua wikunna

vigilante
from Spanish vigilante, meaning "watchman."

W
wop
from Italian guappone, from Spanish guapo, "handsome" or "attractive".

Z
Zorro
from Spanish zorro, a fox, originally "smart"2

Adobe: Meaning "the brick" in Spanish, this word refers to a particular type of building material that is used
mostly in the Southwestern United States
Alligator: From the Spanish word el lagarto, meaning "the lizard."
Armadillo: This southwestern animal is named after the Spanish word armadillo, which means "little man
with armor."
Banana: From the Spanish word that may have come from the Arabic word ba' nana, meaning "fingers."
Bonanza: This word probably comes from the Spanish word bonanza, meaning "prosperity."
Burrito: The Spanish version of burrito means little donkey.
Cabana: From the Spanish word meaning "cabin."
Canoe: Comes from the Spanish word "canoa."

2 http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/List%20of%20English%20words%20of
%20Spanish%20origin

Canyon: From the Spanish word canon (peip, tube, gorge), which comes from cano (tube), that comes from
the Latin word canna(reed).
Cigarette: From the French word cigarette, that comes from the Spanish word cigarro that means "stogie."
Cockroach: From the Spanish word for cockroach, cucaracha.
Desperado: From the Spaish word desesperado, meaning "desperate."
Embargo: Comes from the Spanish word ebargar, "to bar."
Jade: From the Spanish phrase piedra de ijada, meaning "stone of flank."
Key: As in chain of islands and not a key to unlock something, this word comes from the Spanish word cayo.
Potato: From a word in the European version of Spanish, patata.
Ranch: From the Spanish word rancho, meaning "small, rural community."
Savvy: From the Spanish word meaning "to know," sabe3

3 http://www.my-spanish-dictionary.com/english-words-spanish-origin.html

Influences

Influence on American English

American English, in particular, has borrowed much from Spanish. So many place names in the
States are words with Spanish origins Los Angeles, San Diego, Colorado and San Francisco.

History
The Spanish influence on the English language was especially important in the sixteenth
century, when Spain was a global military and political power, and in conflict with Britain at the
same time. This gathered in momentum after the Spanish first arrived in the Americas.

During the westward migration and growth of the cattle trade in the US in the 1870s in
the states and territories which had been part of Mexico, namely Texas, New Mexico,
Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, the settlers borrowed much from Mexican
Spanish.
More Spanish words entered English following the American acquisition of Puerto Rico
after the 1898 Spanish-American War. But by then many Spanish words were already a
feature of everyday American English idiom, and most contributions had come from the
Mexicans, since they lived in large numbers in those territories which the United States
took over.
Today this influence can be most obviously seen in the number of words of Spanish
origin which English, particularly American English, has adopted. This is especially true
of terms from Wild West films such as buckaroo, corral, gringo and so on.

Making Spanish-sounding Words

But, more than just words, Spanish has also made its mark on English derivational morphology
or the way the meaning of words is changed by applying derivations. (This is not something
which can be said of most other living languages.) For example, the addition of -tera to make
words like cafeteria betrays the Spanish origins of those words.

Even the addition of -aroo, which appeared in 1930s American English to make new,
jokey words like stinkaroo came from the word buckaroo which originally came from
the Spanish word for cowboy, vaquero.
This slangy character can also be seen in the other ways in which American English
uses bits of Spanish to make new words. An example is the use of esta to denote extra
fanfare in words such as Hallowesta (instead of Halloween.)
Then there is the use of el and o (a common form of Spanish singular masculine
noun) to make amusing versions of whatever word is being changed such as el
cheapo to mean a cheap product of some kind.

Still more recent is the use of ista, a Spanish suffix, in the English language. For
example fashionista, or Guardianista to describe a certain type of Guardian-reading,
politically correct left-wing liberal.
Which all goes to show, love it or loathe it, the influence of Spanish on the English
language is pronounced, and not to be underestimated. 4
A Linguistic Fiesta
Many adopted Spanish words are food terms, such
as tamale, taco, salsa, cilantro, guacamole, enchilada, oregano, and burrito. They are usually used in
their original Spanish forms. Others, such as tuna, which comes from the Spanish atn, are variations of
the original.
Other food words are of American Indian origin, but came into English via Spanish. Tomato, for instance,
is derived from the Spanish tomate, a corruption of the Nahuatl word tomatl. Chocolate comes from the
Nahuatl word xocolatl. Potatocomes from papa, meaning white potato in the Inca language, Quechua;
and batata, sweet potato in the Taino Indian language of the Caribbean. Banana, on the other hand,
entered Spanish from the West African languages of Wolof, Mandingo, and Fulani.
Animal Names
A number of animal words went directly from Indian languages into Spanish and then
English. Puma originated in Quechua, while jaguar comes from yaguar, a word of the Guarani who live in
what is now Paraguay, and iguana is a modification of iwana, used by the Arawak and Carib of the West
Indies.
Riding Through the Desert
When Americans began exploring the Southwest in the early 19th century they encountered an
established Mexicanculture, which has provided English with many everyday words. Some
involve horseback riding, including rodeo, lasso, and lariat, since the horse was a key part of frontier life
for both Mexicans and Americans.
Ranch, a common English word today, hails from the Mexican Spanish rancho, meaning ranch,
settlement, or meat ration.
Sailing the Spanish Main
Hurricane, tobacco, and hammock came to English from the Caribbean. In the 17th and 18th centuries
American and English traders plied the ports of the West Indies and South America. Weather often
required extended stays in these ports, acquainting the English speakers with Spanish culture.
In addition, buccaneers in search of treasure sailed "the Spanish Main," the South American mainland
from the Orinoco River in present-day Venezuela to Panama. It is likely they also acquired many Spanish
words now used in English.
Common Words with Spanish Origins

4 http://www.howtolearnspanish.co.uk/influence-spanish-english.html

Alligator: el lagarto, the lizard

Booby: bobo, silly or selfish, from the Latin for stammering, balbus

Bronco: meaning wild or rough

Cafeteria: cafetera, a coffee shop

Cargo: cargar, to load

Cigar, Cigarette: cigarro

Comrade: camarada, old Spanish for barracks company or roommate

Guerrilla: a small raiding party or fighting force

Hoosegow: from juzgado, a tribunal or courtroom, past participle of juzgar, to judge

Mustang: mestengo or mesteo, a stray animal

Patio: courtyard in Spanish

Peccadillo: a form of pecado, to sin

Renegade: renegado, deserter or outlaw

Savvy: saber, to know

Tornado: tornar, to turn, tronada, thunderstorm

Vamoose: vamos, let's go5

5 http://www.infoplease.com/spot/spanishwords1.html