List of Spanish words of Indigenous American Indian origin
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

This is a list of
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
words that come from
indigenous languages of the Americas Over a thousand indigenous languages are spoken by the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. These languages cannot all be demonstrated to be related to each other and are classified into a hundred or so language families (including a large numbe ...
. It is further divided into words that come from
Arawakan Arawakan (''Arahuacan, Maipuran Arawakan, "mainstream" Arawakan, Arawakan proper''), also known as Maipurean (also ''Maipuran, Maipureano, Maipúre''), is a language family that developed among ancient indigenous peoples in South America. Branch ...
,
Aymara Aymara may refer to: Languages and people * Aymaran languages, the second most widespread Andean language ** Aymara language, the main language within that family ** Central Aymara, the other surviving branch of the Aymara(n) family, which today ...
, Carib,
Mayan Mayan most commonly refers to: * Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Mayan languages, language family spoken ...
,
Nahuatl Nahuatl (; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahua peoples, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller ...
,
Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...
,
Taíno The Taíno were a historic Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, indigenous people of the Caribbean whose culture has been continued today by Taíno descendant communities and Taíno revivalist communities. At the time of European contact in the ...
, Tarahumara, Tupi and uncertain (the word is known to be from the Americas, but the exact source language is unclear). Some of these words have alternate etymologies and may also appear on a list of
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
words from a different
language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...
.


Alphabetic list


A

*achira (Quechua) *aguacate (Nahuatl ''awakatl'') *ajolote (Nahuatl ''axolotl'') *
alpaca The alpaca (''Lama pacos'') is a species of South American camelid mammal. It is similar to, and often confused with, the llama. However, alpacas are often noticeably smaller than llamas. The two animals are closely related and can successfu ...
(Quechua ''allpaqa'') *amate (Nahuatl ''amatl'') *anticucho (Quechua ''anti uchu'') *atole (Nahuatl ''atolli'')


B

*barbacoa (Taino) * batata (Taíno) *bejuco (Taino) *biznaga *bohío (Taino) *Borike′n (Taino) name for Puerto Rico *boricua (Taino) inhabitants of Borike′n *borinqueño adaptation from the Taino word Boricua


C

*cacahuate/cacahuete (Nahuatl ''kakawatl'') * cacao (Nahuatl) *cacique (Taíno) *cacomistle, cacomiztle, cacomixtle (Nahuatl ''kakomixtli'') * caimán (Taíno) *calato (Quechua) *calincha (Quechua ''qharincha'') *calpulli (Nahuatl ''kalpulli'') *camote (Nahuatl ''kamohtli'') *cancha (Quechua ''kancha'') * caníbal (Taíno) *canoa (Taíno) *cañihua (Quechua ''qañiwa'') *caoba *capulín *caraota *Caribe (Taíno) *caribú *carioca *caraqueño *
casava ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...
(Taíno) *catre *caucho (Quechua) * casabe, cazabe (Taíno) *casava (Taíno) *cayo (Taíno) *ceiba (Taíno) *chaco (Quechua ''chaku'') *chacra (Quechua ''chakra'') *champa (Quechua ''ch'ampa'') *charqui (Quechua ''ch'arki'') *chayote (Nahuatl ''chayotl'') * Chía (Quechua) *
chicle Chicle () is a natural gum traditionally used in making chewing gum and other products. It is collected from several species of Mesoamerican trees in the genus ''Manilkara'', including '' M. zapota'', '' M. chicle'', '' M. staminodella'', and '' ...
(Nahuatl ''tsikitl'') *chilacayote (Nahuatl) *chile, chili (Nahuatl ''chilli'') *chinchilla (Aymara) *chirimoya (Quechua ''chiri muya'') *choclo (Quechua ''chuqllu'') *
chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civ ...
(Nahuatl ''xokolatl'') *choro (Quechua ''ch'uru'') *coca (Quechua ''kuka'') *
condor Condor is the common name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. The name derives from the Quechua ''kuntur''. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere. They are: * The Andean condor (''Vu ...
(Quechua ''kuntur'') *concho (''qunchu'') *coronta (Quechua ''q'urunta'') *coquí (Taíno) *
coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecologica ...
(Nahuatl ''koyotl'') *curaca (Quechua ''kuraka'') *cuate (Nahuatl ''koatl'') *Cuba (Taíno) *Cangil (Quechua '' kankil '')


E

*ejote (Nahuatl ''exotl'') *elote (Nahuatl ''elotl'')


H

*Haití (Taíno) *hamaca *henequén *hicaco *huaca (Quechua) *huaco (Quechua) *huaraca (Quechua ''warak’a'') *huayco (Quechua) *hule *huracán (Taíno)


I

*iguana (Taíno) *inca (Quechua ''inka'') *ixtle (Nahuatl)


J

*jacal *jaguar (Guaraní) *Jamaica (Taíno) *jíbaro *jícama (Nahuatl ''xikámatl'') *jícara *jitomate *jobo


L

*llama (Quechua) *lempira *loro


M

*mabí, maví (Taíno) *macana *macanudo *maguey (Taíno) *maiz (Taíno) *mamey (Taíno) *manatí (Taíno) *mandioca (Nheengatu/Guaraní ''manio'k'' / ''mandio'') *mangle (Taíno) *maní *mapache (Nahuatl ''mapachtli'') *maraca *maracuyá *mate ('drink') *maya *mecate (Nahuatl ''mekatl'') *mesquite (Nāhuatl ''mizquitl'') *mico (Voz cumanagota) *milpa (Nahuatl ''milpan'') *mixteco (Nahuatl ''mixtekatl'') *mole ('sauce', Nahuatl ''molli'') *morocho (Quechua )


N

*náhuatl *nana (Quechua ''ñaña') *nigua *nopal (Nahuatl ''nopalli'')


Ñ

*ñandú *ñapa, yapa (Quechua)


O

*ocelote (Nahuatl ''ocelotl'') *ocote (Nahuatl ''okotl'') *ojota (Quechua ''ushuta'') *olmeca (Nahuatl ''olmekatl'')


P

*palta (Quechua) *pampa (Quechua) *papa (Quechua) *papaya (Taíno) *pécari *petaca *petate *pinole *pita (Quechua) *popote (Nahuatl, ''popotl'') *poroto (Quechua ''purutu'') *poto (Quechua ''putu) *pozole (Nahuatl, ''pozolli'') *pulque (Classical Nahuatl ''poliuhqui octli'') *puma (Quechua ''puma'') *pupo (Quechua ''pupu'')


Q

*quechua (Quechua ''qhichwa'') *quena (Quechua) *quetzal (Nahuatl) *quiltro *quincha (Quechua ''qincha'') *quina (Quechua ''kinakina'') *quinua, quinoa (Quechua ''kinwa'') *quipu (Quechua ''khipu'') *quisqueyano


S

*sabana (Taíno) *sonsote, cenzotle *soroche (Quechua ''suruchiq'')


T

*tacho (Quechua ''tachu'') *tamal (Nahuatl ''tamalli'') *tamandua *tambo (Quechua ''tampu'') *
tapioca Tapioca (; ) is a starch extracted from the storage roots of the cassava plant (''Manihot esculenta,'' also known as manioc), a species native to the North Region, Brazil, North and Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast regions of Brazil, but wh ...
*tarahumara *
tepehuán The Tepehuán are an indigenous people of Mexico. They live in Northwestern, Western, and some parts of North-Central Mexico. The indigenous Tepehuán language has three branches: Northern Tepehuan, Southeastern Tepehuan, Southwestern Tepehu ...
(Nahuatl ''Tēpēhuanih, Tepēhuāntin, Tēpēhuanitlahtōlli, and/or Tepēhuahcān'') *tequila (Tecuilah) *tiburón (Taíno) *tiza (Nahuatl, ''tizatl'') *tomate (Nahuatl ''tómatl'') *tucán *tuna *tuza (Nahuatl)


V

*vicuña (Quechua ''wik'uña'') *vizcacha (Quechua ''wisk'acha'')


W

*wincha (Quechua ''wincha)


Y

*
yuca ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...
*yuyo (Quechua ''yuyu'')


Z

*zacate (Nahuatl ) *zapallo (Quechua ) *zapote (Nahuatl ) *zapoteca (Nahuatl ) *zopilote (Nahuatl )


List by language of origin


Arawakan Arawakan (''Arahuacan, Maipuran Arawakan, "mainstream" Arawakan, Arawakan proper''), also known as Maipurean (also ''Maipuran, Maipureano, Maipúre''), is a language family that developed among ancient indigenous peoples in South America. Branch ...

Iguana Cocoa Barbecue Hurricane Hammock Savannah Tobacco Papaya Canoe Potato Jamaica Guava


Aymara Aymara may refer to: Languages and people * Aymaran languages, the second most widespread Andean language ** Aymara language, the main language within that family ** Central Aymara, the other surviving branch of the Aymara(n) family, which today ...

*china= feminine form of chino, see chino below *chino= a person indigenous to the
Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...
, a
mestizo (; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed Ethnic groups in Europe, European and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also r ...
, a servant: from Aymara (or
Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...
) ''china'' "
female Female (Venus symbol, symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ovum, ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the Sperm, male gamete during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gamet ...
animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...
, servant"


Carib

*arepa = a typical maize bread ; a pancake, a thin cake, fried or roasted made of maize flour (from Carib ''arepa'') *canoa = a typical dugout canoe made by the native Amerindians (from Carib ''kanawa'') *curiara = a typical dugout canoe made by the native Amerindians (from Carib ''kurijara'')


Mayan Mayan most commonly refers to: * Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Mayan languages, language family spoken ...

chuco = adv (comp)


Nahuatl Nahuatl (; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahua peoples, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have smaller ...


Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...

Quechuan /ˈkɛtʃwən/, also known as runa simi ("people's language"), is a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language. It is the most widely spoken language family of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a total of probably some 8 million to 10 million speakers


Taíno The Taíno were a historic Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, indigenous people of the Caribbean whose culture has been continued today by Taíno descendant communities and Taíno revivalist communities. At the time of European contact in the ...

*canoa = a typical dugout canoe made by the native Amerindians (from Taíno )


Tarahumara


Tupi–Guarani languages Tupi–Guarani () is the most widely distributed subfamily of the Tupian languages of South America. It consists of about fifty languages, including Guarani and Old Tupi. The words ''petunia, jaguar, piranha, ipecac, tapioca, jacaranda, a ...

*
Guarani language Guaraní (), specifically the primary variety known as Paraguayan Guarani ( "the people's language"), is a South American language that belongs to the Tupi–Guarani family of the Tupian languages. It is one of the official languages of P ...
: ''ñandú, ananá, guaraná, tatú, cajú, yacaré''. *
Nheengatu language The Nheengatu language (Tupi: , nheengatu rionegrino: ''yẽgatu'', nheengatu tradicional: ''nhẽẽgatú'' e nheengatu tapajoawara: ''nheẽgatu''), often written Nhengatu, is an indigenous language of the Tupi-Guarani family, being then deri ...
:
tapioca Tapioca (; ) is a starch extracted from the storage roots of the cassava plant (''Manihot esculenta,'' also known as manioc), a species native to the North Region, Brazil, North and Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast regions of Brazil, but wh ...
(< ''typyʼók-a''),
jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...
(< ''jawár-a''), mandioca (< ''maniʼók-a''), tucán (< ''tukán-a'') o
tapir Tapirs ( ) are large, herbivorous mammals belonging to the family Tapiridae. They are similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile nose trunk. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South and Central America, with one species inh ...
(< ''tapiʼír-a'').


Yaqui The Yaqui, Hiaki, or Yoeme, are a Native American people of the southwest, who speak a Uto-Aztecan language. Their homelands include the Río Yaqui valley in Sonora, Mexico, and the area below the Gila River in Arizona, Southwestern United Sta ...

*buqui = boy/child *bichi = nude


See also

*
List of Spanish words of Nahuatl origin Documented Nahuatl words in the Spanish language (mostly as spoken in Mexico and Mesoamerica) include an extensive list of words that represent (i) animals, (ii) plants, fruit and vegetables, (iii) foods and beverages, and (iv) domestic appliance ...
*
List of English words of Spanish origin This is a list of English language words whose origin can be traced to the Spanish language as "Spanish loan words". Words typical of " Mock Spanish" used in the United States are listed separately. A ; abaca: via Spanish ''abacá'' from Tagal ...
*
Linguistic history of Spanish The language known today as Spanish is derived from a dialect of spoken Latin, which was brought to the Iberian Peninsula by the Romans after their occupation of the peninsula that started in the late 3rd century BC. Influenced by the peninsul ...


References

*"Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua española" by Guido Gómez de Silva ({{ISBN, 968-16-2812-8) American Indianst
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...