# 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, Greek, Hungarian, Ligurian, Mongolian, Persian, 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 'Marinid' (modern Spanish Benimerines), the people of North Africa who originally 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 مَغْرِب maġrib 'west',from the Semitic root ⟨ġ-r-b⟩.
* moro — a Moor
    see moreno above

## Caló

* calé — a Romani person
    from Caló 'Romani, speaker of Romani', see caló below
* caló — Caló language, also black, dark-colored
    the word is possibly related to Sanskrit kanlanka 'blemish, macula' and/or Ancient Greek kelainós 'black'.
* cañí — Caló, Romani person
    possibly from cali, feminine of calé and/or caló see calé and caló above

## Dravidian languages

* abalorio — glass bead
    from Arabic الْبَلُّورِي al-ballūrī 'of the crystal', from بَلُّور ballūr 'crystal, beryllium', from Ancient Greek βήρυλλος beryllos from brullion, from Prakrit भेरुलिय veruliya, from Pāli भेउरिय veuriya; possibly from or simply akin to a Dravidian source represented by Tamil வெஇருஒர்; விஅர் veiruor, viar 'to whiten, become pale'.
* brillante — brilliant, diamond
    from brillar 'to shine', see brillar below
* brillar — to shine
    possibly from Latin beryllus 'beryllium', from Ancient Greek βήρυλλος beryllos; see abalorio above
* mango — mango
    from English mango, from Portuguese manga, from Tamil மன்கய் mānkāy 'mango fruit', from mān 'mango tree' and kāy 'fruit'.
* mangosta — mongoose
    from French mangouste, from Portuguese mangús, from Marathi मंगूस mangūs 'mongoose', of Dravidian origin.
* paliacate — handkerchief
    shortened from pañuelo de Paliacate, 'handkerchief from Pulicat' The Spanish pañuelo de Paliacate is a partial calque of French mouchoirs de Paliacate (1788).
    The Real Academia Española (Spanish Royal Academy) claims that Paliacate comes from Nahuatl pal 'colour' and yacatl 'nose'.
* paria — pariah, outcast
    from Tamil paraiyan 'pariah', literally 'one who plays the drum', from parai 'drum', possibly from parāi 'to speak'.

## Egyptian

* aciago = unhappy, sad: probably from Latin aegyptius dies, "Egyptian day," from Ancient Greek Aigyptiakos (Αιγυπτιακός) "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', the Hungarian city where carriages with suspension were first made.
* sable = a sabre
    from Old High German sabel, probably derived from Hungarian szablya (1393), literally 'tool to cut with', from szabni 'to cut'.

## Japanese

* caqui — Diospyros plant, and its fruit, the persimmon
    from Japanese 柿 kaki 'persimmon'
* quimono — kimono
    from Japanese 着物 kimono literally 'thing to be put on', from 着る ki 'to put on, wear' and 物 mono 'thing, person'.

## Ligurian

* hoz — sickle
    from Latin falx 'sickle, scythe', possibly from Ligurian.

## Mongolian

* mongol — a Mongol
    from Mongolian Mongol 'a Mongol', documented first in Chinese měng-kǔ, from uncertain source.
* kan/jan — khan
    an honorific title from Turko-Mongol

## Persian language

Aside from the fact that Persian words entered through Latin, other words of Persian origin transmitted through Arabic through the Arab Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages.
* ajedrez — chess
    from Arabic ⁧اَلشَّطْرَنْج⁩ al-šatranǧ, from Persian شترنگ⁩ šatranj from the Sanskrit चतुरङ्ग cátur-aṅga 'four-armed', the shape of the original chess board in India.
* asesino — assassin
    from Arabic hashshshin "someone who is addicted to hashish (marijuana)," originally used to refer to the followers of the Persian Hassan-i-Sabah (حسن صباح), the Hashshashin.
* ayatolá — Ayatollah
    from Persian آیَت‌ُٱلله⁩ âyatollâh from Arabic آيَة اللّٰه āyat allāh 'sign of God'.
* azafrán — saffron
    from Arabic اَلزَّعْفَرَان al-zaʿfarān 'safron' from Persian زعفران zaferân or زرپران zarparān 'gold strung'.
* azúcar — sugar
    from Arabic سكر sukkar, from Persian سكر shekar.
* babucha — slippers, babouche, from Persian پاپوش pāpūš, literally meaning 'foot covering' via Arabic بابوش bābūš.
* bazar — bazaar, from Persian بازار bāzār 'market'.
* berenjena — eggplant, aubergine, from Persian بادنجان bādenjān, of the same meaning, via Arabic بَاذِنْجَان bāḏinjān.
* caravana = caravan, from Persian کاروان kārvān, a company of travelers, pilgrims, or merchants on a long journey through desert or hostile regions: a train of pack animals, thru Italian caravana, carovana.
* caravasar = caravanserai, caravansary, کاروانسرای kārvānsarāy is a Persian compound word combining kārvān "caravan" with sarāy "palace", "building with enclosed courts", from کاروان kārvān caravan + سرا sarā palace, large house, inn; an inn in eastern countries where caravans rest at night that is commonly a large bare building surrounding a court.
* derviche = from Persian درویش darvish, a member of a Sufi Muslim fraternity, literally translated "mendicant".
* diván = from Persian دیوان dēvān (="place of assembly", "roster"), from Old Persian دیپی dipi (="writing, document") + واهانم vahanam (="house")
* escabeche: Pickle or marinade. From Persian Sekba via Arabic as-sukbaj.
* escarlata = scarlet: from Pers. سقرلات saqerlât "a type of red cloth". a rich cloth of bright color. a vivid red that is yellower and slightly paler than apple red
* jazmín: jasmine. From Persian yasmin via Arabic.
* kan/jan = from Persian khan (خان)
** meaning "inn", derives from Middle Persian hʾn' (xān, “house”)
** an honorific title from Turko-Mongol, adapted to Persian
* nenúfar: Water-lily. From Persian nilofer, niloofar, niloufar, via Arabic naylufar.
* roque = rook (chess piece), from Persian رخ rukh via Arabic روخ rukh.
* sah = shah شاه shāh, from Old Persian 𐏋 χšāyaþiya (="king"), from an Old Persian verb meaning "to rule"
* Teherán = Tehran (تهران Tehrân, Iranian capital), from Persian words "Tah" meaning "end or bottom" and "Rân" meaning "[mountain] slope"—literally, bottom of the mountain slope.
* tulipán = tulip, from Persian دلبند dulband Band = To close, To tie.
* turbante = turban, from Persian دلبند dulband Band = To close, To tie.

## Slavic languages

* cibelina, cebellina — sable
    from Old French zibeline, zibelline, from Italian zibellino, of Slavic origin: compare Russian соболь sobolʹ and Polish soból.
* 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 твёрдый tvjórdyj.

### Serbian

* vampire — vampire
* vamp — a dangerously attractive woman
    from Austrian German Vampyre 'vampire', borrowed from Serbian вампир/vampir, 'vampire undead'

### Czech

* pistola — pistol
    from German Pistole 'pistol', from Czech pištal 'pistol, tube'
* calesa — kalesa, a carriage with low wheels and a folding cover
    from French calèche, from German Kalesche, from Czech kolesa 'calesa, carriage, wheels', from Proto-Slavic *kolo 'wheel', from Proto-Indo-European *kwel-

### Polish

* polaco = a Polack
    from Polish pol- 'field, wide and flat territory'
* polka

### Russian

* babushka
    from Russian бабушка babuška 'grandmother, old lady'
* rutenio — ruthenium
    from Medieval Latin Ruthenia 'Russia', from Rutheni, Ruteni 'Russians', from Old Russian Русь Rusĭ 'Russia'
* sputnik — satellite
    from Russian спутник sputnik 'satellite, moon, companion'
* isba
    from Russian изба izba 'log hut'
* vodka

### 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, of Croatia' of uncertain origin, but from the same root as Old Church Slavonic Chǔrvatinǔ 'Croat'.

## Endnotes

* ↑ l and r switched places through metathesis: ballūr from beryllos
* ↑ The pariahs of south India were originally a caste of Untouchables who played drums
* ↑ For the change from ⟨f⟩ in falx to ⟨h⟩ in hoz, see Linguistic history of Spanish#Latin f- to Spanish h- to null.
* ↑ the element was discovered in the Urals

## Citations

* ↑ "Women Military Essay | Bartleby".
* ↑ "Pariah. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000". Archived from the original on 2006-01-15.
* ↑ Harper, Douglas (2001). "Sabre". Online Etymology Dictionary.
* ↑ "kwel-1". Kwel-1. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (4th ed.). 2000. Archived from the original on 2005-12-30.
* ↑ "Как будет по-испански изба, как сказать изба на испанском". spainslov.ru. Retrieved 2025-02-13.