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 "Papoosh" پاپوش, literally meaning "foot covering" via Arabic Baboush  بابوش.
 * bazar= bazaar, from Persian بازار bāzār (="market").
 * berenjena = eggplant, aubergine, from Persian بادنجان (bâdenjân), of the same meaning, via Arabic بَاذِنْجَان (bāḏenjān).
 * 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


 * 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.