Contents

1 A 2 B 3 C 4 D 5 F 6 G 7 H 8 I 9 J 10 K 11 L 12 M 13 N 14 P 15 Q 16 R 17 S 18 T 19 V 20 Y 21 English slang words of Spanish origin 22 External links

A

abalone 

from Spanish abulón, from Ohlone aulon

adobe 

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

albino 

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

alfalfa 

from Spanish, from Arabic al-fisfisa, fresh fodder

alligator 

from el lagarto, ="the lizard"

alpaca 

from Spanish, from Aymara all-paka

arroyo 

from Spanish arroyo, ="stream"

artichoke 

from North Italian articiocco, from Old Spanish alcarchofa, from Arabic al-ẖaršúf. Current Spanish spelling is alcachofa.

B

bandoleer 

from Spanish bandolera, ="band (of ammunition)" and bandolero, ="he who wears a bandoleer"

barbecue 

from Spanish barbacoa, from Taino

barrio 

from Spanish barrio, =neighborhood

bolas 

from Spanish bolas, =balls

bolero 

from Spanish bolero

booby 

from bobo

bronco 

from bronco

buckaroo 

from vaquero, ="cowboy"

burrito 

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

burro 

from burro, ="donkey"

C

cacique 

from Spanish, from Taino

cafeteria 

from cafetería, "coffee store"

calaboose  

from Louisiana French calabouse, from Spanish calabozo

caldera 

from Spanish caldera, "=cauldron"

cannibal 

from Spanish canibal, alteration of caríbal, from Caribe

canoe 

from Spanish canoa, from Haitian canaoua

canyon 

from cañón

carabao

from Spanish from Visayan language , from Malay language.

cargo 

from cargo, carga

chayote 

from Spanish, from Nahuatl chayotl

chicha 

from Spanish chicha, from Panama native American language chichab, ="maize"

chile 

from Spanish chile, from Nahuatl chilli

chocolate 

from Spanish, from Nahuatl xocolatl

cigar 

from Spanish cigarro, from Mayan sicar, sic (="tobacco")

cigarette 

from French cigarette, diminutive of French cigare, from Spanish cigarro

cilantro 

from Spanish cilantro

coca 

from Spanish, from Quechua coca

cockroach 

from Spanish cucaracha

cocoa 

from Spanish cacao, from Nahuatl cacáhuatl

comrade 

from French camarade, from Spanish camarada

condor 

from Spanish, from Quechua cuntur

corral  

from corral

coyote 

from Spanish coyote, from Nahuatl coyotl

cumbia 

from cumbia

D

dengue 

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

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.

F

filibuster 

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

filipino, -a 

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

flamenco 

from flamenco

flamingo 

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

frijol 

from frijol

G

gaucho 

from Spanish, from Quechua huachu, ="orphan"

gringo 

from Spanish gringo, alteration of griego, ="one who does not understand Spanish" (lit. "greek")

guacamole 

from Spanish, from Nahuatl ahuacatl (="avocado") and molli (="sauce")

guanaco 

from Spanish, from Quechua wanacu

guano 

from Spanish, from Quechua huanu, ="dung"

guerrilla 

from guerrilla

H

hacienda 

from hacienda

hammock 

from Spanish hamaca, from Arawak

hombre 

from hombre

hoosegow

from juzgado =court of law

hurricane 

from Spanish huracán, from Taino

I

inca 

from Spanish inca, from Quechua

iguana 

from Spanish iguana from Arawak

J

jaguar 

from Spanish jaguar from Guaraní yaguar

jerky 

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

K

key 

from Spanish cayo, from Taino (this is English 'key'/'cay' as in an island or reef, not the 'key' with which you lock/unlock)

L

ladino 

from ladino

lagniappe 

from Louisiana French, from Spanish la ñapa or la yapa, from Quechua yapa, ="help" or "increase"

lasso 

from lazo

llama 

from Spanish llama, from Quechua

loco 

from Spanish loco, ="insane", "crazy"

M

maize 

from Spanish maiz from Taino mahís

margarita 

from Margarita, ="Margaret"

marijuana 

from marihuana

matador 

from matador

mate 

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

mesa 

from mesa which means table. The corresponding Spanish word to a flat top mountain is meseta)

mescal 

from Spanish mescal or mezcal, from Nahuatl mexcalli

mestizo 

from mestizo

mole 

from Spanish, from Nahuatl molli (="sauce")

mosquito 

from mosquito, literally "little fly"

mulatto 

from Spanish or Portuguese mulato

mustang 

from mestengo or mestenco, ="without known master or owner" (archaic)

mustee 

from mestizo

N

nada 

from nada, = "nothing"

negro 

from Spanish or Portuguese negro, ="black"

P

pampa 

from Spanish, from Quechua pampa, =plain

patio  

from patio

peccadillo  

from pecadillo, ="small sin"

peccary 

from Spanish pecarí, from Guaraní

peyote 

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

Philippines 

from Spanish Islas Filipinas ="islands of king Philip II of Spain"

pisco 

from pisco

placer mining 

from placer, ="sand bank"

platinum 

from platina, ="little silver"

plaza 

from plaza

potato 

from Spanish batata, = "sweet potato", from Taino

pronto  

from pronto

puma 

from Spanish, from Quechua

Q

quadroon 

from cuarterón

R

ranch 

from rancho

renegade 

from renegado

rodeo 

from rodeo

rumba 

from rumba

S

salsa 

from salsa, = "sauce"

savvy  

from sabe, = "know" (third person singular, present indicative)

sherry 

from Xerés, old spelling for the city of Jerez

siesta 

from siesta

sombrero 

from sombrero, (literally, shade maker)

T

taco 

from taco

tango 

from tango

tequila 

from tequila

tiri  

from tiro

tomatillo 

from Spanish tomatillo, ="small tomate"

tomato 

from Spanish tomate, from Nahuatl

torero 

from torero

tornado 

from tronada, ="thunderstorm"

tuna 

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

V

vamoose  

from vamos

vicuña 

from Spanish, from Quechua wikunna

Y

yerba mate 

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

English slang words of Spanish origin

List of words of Spanish origin used as English slang, but have not entered the standard lexicon.

agua 

water

amigo 

friend

bueno 

good

carne 

meat

chico(-a) 

boy, girl

cinco 

five

cuatro 

four

de 

of

del 

of the

dinero 

money

dos 

two

gracias 

Thank you

grande 

large

hombre 

man

manana 

mañana, tomorrow = both tomorrow and morning in English

mano 

hand, but in English it usually is used in reference to a fight

muchacho 

young man

mucho 

a lot of

muy 

very

nino(-a) 

niño, little boy, little girl. Also used as meteorological terms: El Niño and La Niña.

ocho 

eight

padre 

Roman Catholic priest (its main meaning in Spanish is "father")

que 

¿qué?, what?

queso 

cheese

sombrero 

hat, but in English it is used to describe a Mexican hat.

tres 

three

uno 

one

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