Spanish words from Latin
1854 Spanish words with Latin in their history, whether borrowed directly or passed on through other languages (page 11).
especie
It is borrowed from Latin species (“sight, appearance; type, kind; goods”). Corominas's first records are of the 15th century, from the Corbacho (1438), Juan de Mena and Santillana on. The CDH has…
espécimen
It is borrowed from Latin specimen (“sign, evidence; example, model”). The Latin noun is formed on speciō (“to see, observe”) with the suffix -men. Corominas calls it a learned word that was rare in…
especioso
It is borrowed from Latin speciōsus (“beautiful, good-looking”), a learned word. Corominas explains the Latin adjective from the sense “fine appearance” that its base speciēs also had. The noun…
espectáculo
It is borrowed from Latin spectāculum (“sight, show”), a learned word. The Latin noun is formed from spectō (“to look at, watch”) and -culum. That verb is a frequentative of the archaic speciō (“to…
espectador
It is borrowed from Latin spectātor (“onlooker, observer”), a learned word like all the Spanish derivatives of the Latin verb for “to see” that Corominas lists under espectáculo. Cervantes still…
espectro
It is a learned word, borrowed from Latin spectrum (“apparition, image”). Corominas places it among the learned words of the family of speciō (“to look”), the archaic verb behind spectō (“to…
especulador
It is borrowed from Latin speculātor (“scout, spy, observer”), as the Academy's dictionary and Wiktionary give it. Wiktionary also analyses it as from Spanish especular + -dor, and Corominas lists…
especular
The verb is a learned borrowing, borrowed from Latin speculor (“to observe, keep watch”). The Latin verb is derived from specula (“a lookout post, watchtower”), which comes from the old verb speciō…
especulativo
It is borrowed from Late Latin speculātīvus (“speculative, contemplative”), a learned word. The Late Latin adjective is formed from speculor (“to watch, observe”) with the suffix -īvus. The verb is…
espelta
It is borrowed from Late Latin spelta (“spelt”). Corominas notes that the treatment of the stressed ⟨e⟩, which did not become a diphthong, shows that it is not a popular Castilian word, and suggests…
esperanza
It is inherited from Old Spanish esperança, which continues inherited from Vulgar Latin *spērantia, a noun formed on Latin spērāns (“hoping”), the present participle of spērō (“to hope”). The DLE…
esperar
It is inherited from Old Spanish esperar, inherited from Latin spērō (“to hope”). The Glosas Silenses already have the Latin-looking subjunctive speret. The same verb is Portuguese esperar, Galician…
espeso
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…
espina
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…
espíritu
It is a learned borrowing borrowed from Latin spiritus (“breath, air; spirit”). Vox dates the borrowing to the 13th century. The Breve diccionario dates it to 1220–1250 and treats it under espirar…
espléndido
It is borrowed from Latin splendidus (“bright, shining; brilliant”), a learned word. The Latin adjective is formed splendeō (“to shine”) with the suffix -idus. De Vaan reconstructs the verb as…
esposo
It is inherited from Latin spōnsus (“betrothed; bridegroom”), the past participle of spondeō (“to promise solemnly”); the feminine esposa is sponsa. Lanchetas compares espeso, from expensum, for the…
espurio
It is borrowed from Latin spurius (“bastard, illegitimate”), a learned word. Romanian spuriu continues the same Latin word. The Latin word was a legal term for a child of unknown father, and also a…
establecer
It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *stabiliscere, an inchoative verb formed from stabiliō (“to make firm, steady”) with the suffix -ēscere that gives Spanish verbs in ⟨-ecer⟩. The Academy's…
estación
It is borrowed from Latin statio (“a standing still; a post; a residence”), a learned word. Corominas dates it to Juan Ruiz, about 1330–1343, and the Breve diccionario to 1335; the corpus has…
estado
It is inherited from Latin status (“way of standing; position, condition”), through Old Spanish estado. Corominas treats it in the article on estar, whose past participle has the same form: the verb…
estambre
It continues inherited from Latin stāmen (“warp of a loom; thread”). Wiktionary starts it from the oblique stem, Vulgar Latin *stāminem. The Latin word was neuter; Spanish has wavered between…
estar
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…
este
1. The word for “east” is probably borrowed from French est, which is from Old English ēast. The first Spanish form, leste, has the French article joined to it, and French has the word from the 12th…
estilo
It is borrowed from Latin stilus (“stake; stem; writing stylus; manner of writing”). Corominas dates it to the second quarter of the 15th century and suggests that Juan de Valdés, who used it often…
estimar
It is borrowed from Latin aestimō (“to value, appraise; to esteem; to judge”). The popular descendant of a Vulgar Latin derivative, Vulgar Latin *adaestimō, was Old Spanish asmar “to think, judge”…
estimular
It is borrowed from Latin stimulō (“to prick with a goad, urge on”), from stimulus (“goad, sting; spur”). Corominas treats it under the noun estímulo, also a learned word, first recorded in the…
estipulación
It is borrowed from Latin stipulātiō (“a formal promise demanded and given”), a learned word. Corominas lists it among the derivatives of estipular, with a first record in the royal ordinances of…
estómago
It is borrowed from Latin stomachus (“gullet; stomach”), which is from Ancient Greek στόμαχος (stómakhos, “throat, gullet”), from στόμα (stóma, “mouth”). Corominas calls it a very old learned word…
estrada
It is inherited from Old Spanish estrada, inherited from Late Latin strāta (“paved road”), short for via strāta (“paved way”). The participle strātus belongs to sternō (“to spread out, strew”). The…
estrecho
It is inherited from Latin strictus (“drawn tight, close”), through Old Spanish estrecho, properly the past participle of stringō (“to draw tight, bind”). Beside it Spanish took the learned doublet…
estrella
It is inherited from Old Spanish estrella, inherited from Latin stēlla (“star”). Wiktionary suggests that it went through a regional Latin *strēlla. The same Latin word is Portuguese estrela…
estrellar
1. The verb for “to smash” is formed from Spanish estrella (“star”) + -ar, from the star-shaped rays that a broken object makes, as the Diccionario de Autoridades and the Academy's dictionary of…
estudiar
It is formed from Spanish estudio + -ar. The noun estudio is a learned word, from Latin studium (“zeal, application, study”). Gómez de Silva derives the verb directly from Medieval Latin studiare…
estudio
It is inherited from Old Spanish estudio, borrowed from Latin studium (“zeal, application, study”), a learned word. The Latin noun is formed on studeō (“to devote oneself, strive after”) with the…
estudioso
It is borrowed from Latin studiōsus (“eager, zealous; studious”). The BDELC lists it among the derivatives of estudio, which is from studium (“zeal, application”). Wiktionary notes that it can be…
estupendo
It is borrowed from Latin stupendus (“astonishing, marvellous”), first recorded about 1570. The Latin word is the gerundive of stupeō (“to be stunned, amazed”), literally “to be wondered at”…
estúpido
It is borrowed from Latin stupidus (“stunned, dazed; dull, foolish”), first recorded in 1691. The Latin adjective is formed from stupeō (“to be numb, to be stunned”) with the suffix -idus. De Vaan…
éter
It is borrowed from Latin aethēr (“the upper air, heaven”), which Latin had taken from Ancient Greek αἰθήρ (aithḗr, “clear sky, heaven”). The Latin word was itself a learned loan, used by poets from…
ética
It is borrowed from Latin ethica (“ethics, moral philosophy”), a learned word. Latin took it from Greek, and the sources differ on the form: the DRAE, Moliner and Wiktionary name the feminine…
evadir
It is a learned borrowing, borrowed from Latin ēvādō (“to go out; to escape”). Corominas lists it among the derivatives in his article on invadir, and gives a text of H. Núñez of 1499 and Antonio de…
evento
It is borrowed from Latin ēventus (“outcome, occurrence”), a learned word. The Latin noun is formed from ēveniō (“to come out, turn out, happen”), from ex- (“out”) and veniō (“to come”), so it…
evitar
It is a learned word, borrowed from Latin ēvītō (“to avoid, shun”). The Latin verb is made of ex- and vītō (“to move out of the way, avoid”). The origin of the simple verb is uncertain. Walde and…
exacto
It is borrowed from Latin exāctus (“weighed exactly, precise”), first recorded in Oudin's dictionary of 1607. The Latin adjective is the past participle of exigō (“to drive out; demand; weigh”)…
examen
It is borrowed from Latin exāmen (“tongue of a balance; weighing; examination”), a learned word. The Latin noun is formed from exigō (“to drive out; to weigh exactly”), which is ex- and agō (“to…
examinar
It is borrowed from Latin exāminō (“to weigh; to examine”), a learned word. The Latin verb is formed on exāmen (“swarm; tongue of a balance”), and at first meant both “to swarm” and “to weigh”. The…
excusar
It continues inherited from Latin excūsō (“to excuse, free from blame”); the Old Spanish form escusar is recorded in a charter of 1076. Wiktionary calls the modern form a semi-learned alteration of…
existente
It is borrowed from Latin exsistēns (“existing”), the present participle of exsistō (“to come out, appear”), as the Academy's dictionary has given it since 1884. Wiktionary analyses it as the…
existir
It is borrowed from Latin exsistō (“to step out, come forth, appear”), a learned word. The Latin verb is ex- (“out”) and sistō (“to cause to stand, set up”). This verb goes back to Proto-Italic…
experiencia
It is borrowed from Latin experientia (“trial; experience”). The Latin noun is formed from experiēns, the present participle of experior (“to try, test”), with the suffix -ia. The verb is formed…
explicar
It is borrowed from Latin explicō (“to unfold, unroll; to set out, explain”). The Latin verb is formed from ex- (“out”) and plicō (“to fold”), so that its first sense was “to unfold, to undo the…
explosión
It is borrowed from Latin explōsiō (“driving off with noise, hissing off the stage”), taken in the sense “noisy outburst, bursting”. The Latin noun comes from explōdō (“to drive off by clapping”)…
extender
It is inherited from Old Spanish estender, inherited from Latin extendō (“to stretch out, spread”), formed ex- (“out”) + tendō (“to stretch”). Old Spanish wrote it with ⟨s⟩, as Berceo and Nebrija…
externo
It is a learned word, borrowed from Latin externus (“outward, external”). Corominas lists it among the learned words of the family of the Latin preposition extrā (“outside”), beside exterior and…
extraño
It is inherited from Latin extrāneus (“external; not of the family; foreign”); Old Spanish estraño is its form in the Cantar de mio Cid. Corominas stresses that it is a popular, inherited word, so…
extraordinario
It is borrowed from Latin extraordinārius (“supplementary; out of the usual order”), a learned word. The Latin adjective was formed from the phrase extrā ōrdinem (“outside the order”), that is from…
fácil
It is a learned word, borrowed from Latin facilis (“that can be done; easy”), first as fácile. The present form became usual in the 16th century. Vox dates the borrowing to the 15th century…
falso
It is inherited from Old Spanish falso, inherited from Latin falsus (“false”), properly the past participle of fallō (“to deceive”). The same Latin word is Portuguese falso, Catalan fals, Occitan…
falta
It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *fallita (“a failing, lack”), the feminine of *fallitus, a popular past participle of Latin fallere (“to deceive; to escape notice”) that replaced the classical…
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…