300–201 BC

Spanish words from Latin words first recorded in the 3rd century BC

412 Spanish words inherited from a Latin word whose earliest known written record dates from the 3rd century BC, earliest Latin record first (page 3).

espeso
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin spissus

It is inherited from Latin spissus (“thick, dense, compact”). The Old Spanish form was espesso. The same Latin word is Portuguese espesso, Galician espeso, Asturian espesu, Catalan espès, Occitan…
estar
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin sto

It is inherited from Latin stāre (“to stand; to stand firm, motionless”), Old Spanish estar. The preterite estuve is of uncertain origin, most likely modelled on hube of haber, as in andar and…
fama
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin fama

It is inherited from Old Spanish fama, inherited from Latin fāma (“rumour, public opinion, renown”). Corominas considers it semi-learned: the Latin /f/ did not become /h/, the Latin sense is…
fiel
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin fidelis

It is inherited from Old Spanish fiel, inherited from Latin fidēlis (“faithful”). Corominas explains the kept ⟨f⟩ as in fe: the word was pronounced without a diphthong until late, so neither the…
fuente
235 BC–200 BC

from Latin fons

It is inherited from Latin fons (“spring, source”), through Old Spanish fuant and fuent. The Latin noun was masculine, but from the 4th century it changed gender like other nouns of the third…
fuera
235 BC–200 BC

from Latin foras

It continues inherited from Old Spanish fueras, inherited from Latin forās (“out of doors, outside”). The final ⟨-s⟩ was dropped on the model of the many adverbs that had forms with and without the…
gastar
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin vasto

It is inherited from Latin vastāre (“to lay waste, devastate”), pronounced *wastare in late Latin under the influence of a West Germanic verb, the source of Old High German wuostan and German wüsten…
gente
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin gens

It is inherited from Old Spanish yente, inherited from Latin gēns (“clan, race; the people of a country”), the modern form being a relatinisation of the Old Spanish word. The inherited form prevails…
hecho
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin factum

It is inherited from Old Spanish fecho, inherited from Latin factum (“deed, act”), the neuter of factus (“done, made”), the past participle of faciō (“to do, make”), whose Spanish descendant is…
hoy
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin hodie

It is inherited from Latin hodiē (“today”); the Old Spanish form was oy. The Latin adverb is a compound of hic (“this”) and diēs (“day”), literally “on this day”. De Vaan takes the second part as an…
lavar
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin lavo

It is inherited from Latin lavāre (“to wash”), Old Spanish lavar. In Old Latin the verb was also inflected in the third conjugation, in the sense “to wash something or someone”, while the…
letra
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin littera

It is inherited from Latin littera (“letter of the alphabet”), recorded from the beginnings of the language. The same word is Portuguese letra, Asturian lletra, Catalan lletra, Occitan letra, French…
mejor
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin melior

It is inherited from Latin melior (“better”), the comparative used with bonus (“good”), continuing the Latin accusative. The same word is Portuguese melhor, Galician mellor, Catalan millor, Occitan…
miedo
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin metus

It is inherited from Old Spanish miedo, inherited from Latin metus (“fear”). The same Latin word is Portuguese medo, Galician medo and Asturian mieu. The Latin noun is reconstructed as Proto-Italic…
muerto
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin mortuus

It is inherited from Latin mortuus (“dead”) (Vulgar Latin *mortus), the past participle of morior (“to die”). In Spanish it remains the participle of morir, and is also the adjective and the noun…
nada
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin natus

It is inherited from Old Spanish nada, inherited from Latin nāta (“born”), the feminine past participle of nāscor (“to be born”). The participle stood in the phrase rēs nāta (“a thing born”), Old…
no
235 BC–200 BC

from Latin non

It is inherited from Latin nōn (“not”). In Old Spanish the word was usually Old Spanish non, with ⟨no⟩ beside it: the DEMel counts about 17,800 records of ⟨non⟩ against some 1,700 of ⟨no⟩. García de…
nueve
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin novem

It is inherited from Latin novem (“nine”), Old Spanish nueve, also nuef. The same Latin word is Portuguese nove, Galician nove, Asturian nueve, Catalan nou, Occitan nòu, French neuf, Italian nove…
obra
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin opera

It is inherited from Old Spanish obra, inherited from Latin opera (“work, effort”); the older form huebra gave way to it under the influence of the verb obrar. Modern Spanish keeps it as huebra, a…
orden
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin ordo

It is inherited from Latin ordo (“row, rank, order”), by a semi-learned development. Corominas notes that a fully popular development would have given *orne, and that the learned influence is easily…
otro
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin alter

It is inherited from Old Spanish altro (the form of the Glosas Emilianenses; the Cid already has the modern form), inherited from Latin alter (“the other of two”). Already in Vulgar Latin it…
paso
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin passus

It is inherited from Latin passus (“step, pace”), written Old Spanish passo in the old language. Covarrubias and the Diccionario de Autoridades still wrote ⟨passo⟩. The same Latin word is Portuguese…
perder
235 BC–200 BC

from Latin perdo

It is inherited from Old Spanish perder, inherited from Latin perdō (“to destroy; to lose”). The Latin verb is formed per- (“through, completely”) and dō (“to give”), with the original sense “to…
pierna
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin perna

It continues inherited from Latin perna (“leg with the thigh; ham”). In Latin the word named the whole hind limb, properly of animals, and tended to be specialised for the pig, so that in vulgar…
poner
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin pono

It is inherited from Latin pōnō (“to put, place”). The Latin verb comes from *pozinō, a compound of the prefix po- (“off, away”) and sinō (“to let, put in place”). Its old perfect was that of the…
porcino
235 BC–200 BC

from Latin porcinus

It is inherited from Latin porcīnus (“of a pig”), the adjective of porcus (“male pig”), formed with the suffix -īnus. Corominas lists it under puerco, the noun inherited from the same Latin word…
primo
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin primus

It is inherited from Latin prīmus (“first”), which figuratively came to mean “of the first quality”. In the sense “cousin” it is a shortening of cōnsobrīnus prīmus (“first cousin”), literally “first…
probar
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin probo

It is inherited from Old Spanish provar, inherited from Latin probō (“to test; to approve; to prove”). The Latin verb is derived from probus (“good, excellent”). Autoridades noted that the stressed…
reír
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin rideo

It is inherited from Latin rīdeō (“to laugh”), a verb used at every period of Spanish and kept in all the Romance languages. The Romance forms go back to a spoken Latin infinitive with a short vowel…
saber
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin sapio

It is inherited from Latin sapiō (“to taste; to be wise, know”). In Latin the verb usually referred to taste, but the comic poets already used it for “to have sense, know what one is about”, which…
saludar
235 BC–200 BC

from Latin saluto

It is inherited from Latin salūtō (“to greet, hail”), through Old Spanish saludar, recorded from the Cantar de mio Cid on. The Latin verb is formed on salūs (“health, safety; greeting”), which…
salvo
235 BC–200 BC

from Latin salvus

It is inherited from Latin salvus (“whole, unharmed, safe”), a word in use in every period of Spanish and found in all the western Romance languages. Corominas notes that the treatment of the group…
seña
235 BC–200 BC

from Latin signum

It is inherited from Latin signa (“marks; military standards”), the neuter plural of the noun, taken as a feminine singular. Catalan senya continues the same plural. The Latin word also gave…
solo
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin solus

It is inherited from Latin sōlus (“alone, only”); Old Spanish solo is recorded in a charter of 1040, and the word has been in general use ever since. The adverb, “only”, is the same word: Corominas…
sonido
235 BC–200 BC

from Latin sonitus

It is inherited from Old Spanish sonido, inherited from Latin sonitus (“noise, din”), a semi-learned word. The stress moved from the first syllable of the Latin word to the ⟨i⟩ under the influence…
tanto
235 BC–200 BC

from Latin tantus

It is inherited from Old Spanish tanto, inherited from Latin tantus (“so great, so much”). Corominas notes that the word is used at all periods and is common to all the Romance languages, so that…
tarde
235 BC–200 BC

from Latin tarde

It is inherited from Latin tardē (“slowly; late”), the adverb of tardus (“slow”), and the Old Spanish form was already tarde. The adverb is common to all the western Romance languages; the sense…
temer
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin timeo

It is inherited from Old Spanish temer, inherited from Latin timeō (“I fear”). Corominas notes that the verb is frequent from the earliest texts and is common to all the Romance languages except…
tener
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin teneo

It is inherited from Latin tenēre (“to hold, occupy; to keep”), Old Spanish tener “to hold”. The preterite tuve took its ⟨u⟩ from hube of the near synonym haber. The main event in its history is…
uso
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin usus

It continues inherited from Latin ūsus (“use, need, value”). Corominas notes that the word has been in general use at every period and survives in all the western Romance languages: Portuguese uso…
valer
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin valeo

It is inherited from Latin valeō (“to be strong, to be healthy”), already valer in Old Spanish. Latin used the verb also for a remedy that works, a law in force, an influential person, a coin…
vencer
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin vinco

It is inherited from Latin vincō (“to conquer, overcome”), through Old Spanish vencer. Corominas notes that it has been in general use at every period and that it is common to all the Romance…
vender
235 BC–200 BC

from Latin vendo

It is inherited from Latin vendo (“to sell”); the Old Spanish form was already vender. It is common to all the Romance languages: Portuguese vender, Galician vender, Catalan vendre, French vendre…
vivo
235 BC–201 BC

from Latin vivus

It is inherited from Old Spanish bivo, inherited from Latin vīvus (“alive, living”). The spelling with initial b was not arbitrary but the result of a normal dissimilation, as in bivir and bolver…
comino
234 BC–149 BC

from Latin cuminum

It is inherited from Latin cumīnum (“cumin”), which is from Ancient Greek κύμινον (kúminon). A spelling cominum occurs in a Latin charter of 1288. The same Latin word is Portuguese cominho, Galician…
desierto
234 BC–149 BC

from Latin desertus

It is inherited from Old Spanish desierto, inherited from Latin dēsertus (“abandoned, deserted”), the past participle of dēserō (“to leave, abandon”). The noun continues the neuter dēsertum…
espina
234 BC–149 BC

from Latin spina

It is inherited from Old Spanish espina, inherited from Latin spīna (“thorn; fishbone”). Corominas notes that it is popular and common to all the Western Romance languages: Portuguese espinha…
hornaza
234 BC–149 BC

from Latin fornax

It continues inherited from Latin fornax (“furnace, kiln”) through Old Spanish fornaz; because the noun was feminine it later took a secondary -a. The Latin word is related to furnus (“oven”), the…
lluvia
234 BC–149 BC

from Latin pluvia

It is inherited from Old Spanish lluvia, inherited from Latin pluvia (“rain”). The Latin noun is the feminine of the adjective pluvius (“rainy”) used on its own, short for “rainy weather”, and…
noviembre
234 BC–149 BC

from Latin November

It is inherited from Latin November (“November”). The Latin month was named from novem (“nine”) because it was the ninth month of the Roman year, which began in March. The REW explains the Old…
octubre
234 BC–149 BC

from Latin October

It is inherited from Latin Octōber (“October”), in a variant with /u/: Vulgar Latin Octuber is recorded in 119 AD. Wiktionary calls the modern form semi-learned, based on the inherited Old Spanish…
riesgo
234 BC–149 BC

from Latin reseco

Its origin is uncertain. Corominas thinks it is probably the same word as risco “steep crag”, old inherited from Old Spanish riesco, from the danger of those who travel such places or of a sailor…
ruda
234 BC–149 BC

from Latin ruta

It is inherited from Latin rūta (“rue”). The word is common to all the western Romance languages: Portuguese arruda, Catalan ruda, French rue and Italian ruta, and Mozarabic ruta. The Portuguese…
abogado
205 BC–184 BC

from Latin advocatus

It is inherited from Latin advocātus (“one called in to help; legal counsel”), the noun use of the past participle of advocō (“to call, summon; to call in as counsel”), itself from vocō (“to call”)…
acusar
205 BC–184 BC

from Latin accuso

It is inherited from Latin accūsō (“to call to account, accuse”); the Old Spanish form was already acusar. The verb was formed from Latin ad- + causa (“cause; lawsuit”): it belonged first to the…
amargo
205 BC–184 BC

from Latin amarus

Corominas explains it as the older inherited from Old Spanish amaro (“bitter”), inherited from Latin amārus (“bitter”), reshaped under the influence of the verb amargar. The DLE and Wiktionary give…
antiguo
205 BC–184 BC

from Latin antiquus

It is inherited from Old Spanish antigo, inherited from Latin antīquus (“former, ancient”), recorded in Spanish since a charter of 1043. Good Latin manuscripts have antīcus beside the feminine with…
arder
205 BC–184 BC

from Latin ardeo

It is inherited from Latin ārdeō (“to be on fire, burn”). The same verb is Portuguese arder, Galician arder, Asturian arder, Catalan ardre, Old Occitan ardre, Old French ardoir, Italian ardere and…
arte
205 BC–184 BC

from Latin ars

It is inherited from Old Spanish arte, with the apocopated form art, inherited from Latin ars (“skill, craft; profession”). Corominas and the Vox dictionary treat it as an inherited word, while…
artejo
205 BC–184 BC

from Latin articulus

It is inherited from Latin articulus (“small joint, knuckle”), the popular descendant of the Latin word, whose learned doublet is artículo. Wiktionary starts from the syncopated form articlus, a…

All Spanish words inherited from Latin, by century →