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Spanish Words Become Our Own

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  • cafeteria (from cafetería)
  • caldera (geological term)
  • canary (Old Spanish canario entered English by way of French canarie)
  • canasta (the Spanish word means "basket")
  • cannibal (originally of Caribbean origin)
  • canoe (the word was originally Caribbean)
  • canyon (from cañon)
  • cargo (from cargar, "to load")
  • castanet (from castañeta)
  • chaparral (from chaparro, an evergreen oak)
  • chaps (from Mexican Spanish chaparreras)
  • chihuahua (dog breed named after Mexican city and state)
  • chile relleno (Mexican food)
  • chili (from chile, derived from Nahuatl chilli)
  • chili con carne (con carne means "with meat")
  • chocolate (originally xocolatl, from Nahuatl, an indigenous Mexican language)
  • churro (Mexican food)
  • cigar, cigarette (from cigarro)
  • cilantro
  • cinch (from cincho, "belt")
  • cocaine (from coca, from Quechua kúka)
  • cockroach (Two English words, "cock" and "roach," were combined to form "cockroach." It is believed, but isn't certain, that the words were chosen because of their similarity to the Spanish cucaracha.)
  • coco (type of tree, from icaco, originally Arawak ikaku from the Caribbean)
  • comrade (from camarada, "roommate")
  • conquistador
  • condor (originally from Quechua, an indigenous South American language)
  • corral
  • coyote (from the Nahuatl coyotl)
  • creole (from criollo)
  • criollo (English term refers to someone indigenous to South America; Spanish term originally referred to anyone from a particular locality)
  • dago (offensive ethnic term comes from Diego)
  • dengue (Spanish imported the word from Swahili)

  • derecho (a type of windstorm that can be found in the U.S. Midwest)
  • desperado
  • dorado (type of fish)
  • El Niño (weather pattern, means "The Child" due to its appearance around Christmas)
  • embargo (from embargar, to bar)
  • enchilada (participle of enchilar, "to season with chili")
  • fajita (diminutive of faja, a belt or sash, probably so named due to strips of meat)
  • fiesta (in Spanish, it can mean a party, a celebration, a feast — or a fiesta)
  • filibuster (from filibustero, derived from Dutch vrijbuiter, "pirate")
  • flan (a type of custard)
  • flauta (a fried, rolled tortilla)
  • flotilla
  • frijol (English regionalism for a bean)
  • galleon (from Spanish galeón)
  • garbanzo (type of bean)
  • guacamole (originally from Nahuatl ahuacam, "avocado," and molli, "sauce")
  • guerrilla (In Spanish, the word refers to a small fighting force. A guerrilla fighter is a guerrillero.)
  • hammock (from jamaca, a Caribbean Spanish word)
  • habanero (a type of pepper; in Spanish, the word refers to something from Havana)
  • hacienda (in Spanish, the initial h is silent)
  • huarache (type of sandal)
  • hurricane (from huracán, originally an indigenous Caribbean word)
  • hoosegow (slang term for a jail comes from Spanish juzgado, participle of juzgar, "to judge")
  • iguana (originally from Arawak and Carib iwana)
  • incomunicado
  • jaguar (from Spanish and Portuguese, originally from Guarani yaguar)
  • jalapeño
  • jerky (the word for dried meet comes from charqui, which in turn came from the Quechua ch'arki)
  • jicama (originally from Nahuatl)
  • key (the word for a small island comes from the Spanish cayo, possibly of Caribbean origin)
  • lariat (from la reata, "the lasso")
  • lasso (from lazo)
  • llama (originally from Quechua)
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