Spanish words from Latin
1854 Spanish words with Latin in their history, whether borrowed directly or passed on through other languages (page 23).
posar
1. The word for “to rest, to lodge” is inherited from Late Latin pausare (“to cease, halt, rest”), from pausa (“halt, pause”), a loan from Ancient Greek παύω (paúō, “to stop, make cease”) or from…
poseer
It is inherited from Latin possideō (“to hold, occupy, possess”). The Latin verb is formed from potis (“able, master of”) and sedeō (“to sit”), and was first used of holding land or property. Gómez…
posesivo
It is borrowed from Latin possessīvus (“indicating possession”), a learned word recorded from 1495. The Latin adjective is formed from possideō (“to have, possess”) with the suffix -īvus, and…
posible
It is a learned borrowing borrowed from Latin possibilis (“possible”). The DCECH lists it among the learned words of the family of poder, with posibilidad and imposible. The Latin adjective is…
posición
It is borrowed from Latin positiō (“a placing, position”), a noun of action formed on the supine stem of pōnō (“to put, place”). The Latin verb goes back to *pozinō (“to put down”), from *po (“off…
positivo
It is borrowed from Latin positīvus (“laid down by convention; positive (in grammar)”), a learned word. The Latin adjective is formed with the suffix -īvus on positus, the past participle of pōnō…
potable
It is borrowed from Late Latin pōtābilis (“drinkable”), from pōtō (“to drink”) with the adjective suffix -bilis. The Latin adjective is post-classical. The DCECH lists it, with poción, among the…
potencia
It is borrowed from Latin potentia (“power, might”), a learned word first recorded in Berceo. The Diccionario de Autoridades already called it a purely Latin word. Corominas treats it with the…
potencialidad
Wiktionary takes it as borrowed from Medieval Latin potentiālitās, a learned word of scholastic philosophy, and the Diccionario de Autoridades gives the same Latin word as its equivalent. Terreros…
potentado
It is borrowed from Late Latin potentātus, a learned word. In classical Latin the word meant “power, dominion”, and it is formed from Latin potēns (“powerful”) with the suffix -ātus. The sense…
potente
It is borrowed from Latin potēns (“powerful, able”), a learned word beside the inherited pudiente. Corominas lists it among the derivatives of poder, with the first record in Berceo. The Latin…
práctica
It is inherited from Old Spanish pratica, borrowed from Late Latin practicē (“practical science”), which is from Ancient Greek πρακτική (praktikḗ), the feminine of πρακτικός (praktikós, “active…
preámbulo
It is borrowed from Medieval Latin praeambulum, a learned word. The DLE and Moliner give the source as the Latin adjective praeambulus (“walking in front”). The Medieval Latin noun is the neuter of…
precedencia
It is borrowed from Latin praecedentia, a learned word. The Academy's dictionaries of 1884 and 1899 derived it instead from Spanish precedente, and Alemany in 1917 from the Latin word. The Latin…
preceder
It is borrowed from Latin praecēdō (“to go before, precede”). Corominas counts it among the learned derivatives of the Latin verb behind ceder, and the Vox dictionary dates the borrowing to the 15th…
precio
It is inherited from Latin pretium (“price, value; reward”), taken over in a semi-learned form; Old Spanish precio is recorded from the end of the 10th century. Corominas finds the learned sound of…
precioso
It is borrowed from Latin pretiōsus (“costly, valuable”), a learned word. Corominas lists it under precio, itself a semi-learned descendant of Latin pretium: only Castilian has a learned form of…
preciso
It is borrowed from Latin praecīsus (“cut off; abrupt; shortened”), the past participle of praecīdō (“to cut off in front, shorten”), formed from prae- (“in front”) and caedō (“to cut”). Corominas…
predicar
It is borrowed from Latin praedicō (“to proclaim publicly”), a learned word, already found in the Glosas Silenses of the 10th century. García de Diego notes that Old Spanish also had a more popular…
preeminente
It is borrowed from Late Latin praeēminēns, the present participle of praeēmineō (“to project; to excel”). Corominas treats it with eminente and dates it to the beginning of the 17th century; the…
prefecto
It is borrowed from Latin praefectus (“one placed in charge, commander, governor”), a learned word. The Latin noun is the past participle of praeficiō (“to put in charge, set over”), formed with…
prefectura
It is borrowed from Latin praefectūra (“command; office of a prefect”). Corominas lists it, undated, beside prefecto, which he dates to 1490. The Latin noun is formed from praefectus (“prefect”)…
preferible
It is formed from Spanish preferir + -ible. Corominas lists it among the derivatives of preferir, which is from Latin praeferō (“to carry in front, to prefer”), recorded from 1490, from ferō (“to…
preferir
It is borrowed from Latin praeferō (“to carry in front; to prefer”), moved into the third conjugation in ⟨-ir⟩. The Latin verb meant “to carry before”, “to present, offer, show” and “to put first…
preludio
It is borrowed from Medieval Latin praelūdium (“prelude, preliminary performance”), a derivative of praelūdō (“to play beforehand”). Corominas dates it to the beginning of the 17th century, but the…
premio
It is a learned word, borrowed from Latin praemium (“booty, spoils; reward”). The Latin noun is formed from prae- (“before”) and emō (“to take, to buy”), as if “what one has taken before the…
prender
It is inherited from Old Spanish prender, inherited from Latin prēndō (“to seize”), the contracted form of prehendō (“to grasp, seize”). The same verb is Portuguese prender, Catalan pendre, French…
prenombre
It is borrowed from Latin praenōmen (“first name”), adapted to the Spanish word nombre. Wiktionary analyses it as pre- and nombre. The Latin noun is formed from prae- (“before”) and nōmen (“name”)…
preparar
It is borrowed from Latin praeparō (“to make ready beforehand”), formed from prae- (“before”) and parō (“to prepare”). It is a learned word; the inherited outcome of the simple verb is parar, which…
presa
It is inherited from Latin prēnsa (“seized, taken”), the feminine past participle of prehendō (“to grasp, seize”), with the contracted form prendō. In Spanish it began as the feminine of preso, one…
presagio
It is borrowed from Latin praesāgium (“presentiment, foreboding; prediction”), a learned word. Corominas notes that Cristóbal de las Casas, in 1570, did not yet list it and translated Italian…
presencia
It is borrowed from Latin praesentia (“presence”). The Latin noun is formed from praesēns (“present”), the present participle of praeesse (“to be in front, be at hand”). The same Latin word is…
presentar
It is borrowed from Latin praesentō (“to show, exhibit, present”), one of the learned words that Corominas places in the family of ser. The Latin verb is formed on praesēns (“present”), the…
presente
The adjective is borrowed from Latin praesēns (“present”), the present participle of praesum (“to be in front, preside”), from prae- (“before”) and sum (“to be”). Corominas counts it among the…
preservativo
It is borrowed from Medieval Latin praeservātīvus, according to the DTME, which dates the word in Spanish from 1422 and in French from 1314. Corominas lists it among the derivatives of preservar…
presidente
It is borrowed from Latin praesidēns (“presiding; a governor”), the present participle of praesideō (“to sit in front, watch over, preside”). The Latin verb is formed from prae- (“before”) and sedeō…
presidir
It is borrowed from Latin praesidēre (“to sit in front; to guard; to preside over”). The Latin verb is formed from prae- (“before, in front”) and sedeō (“to sit”), with the vowel of the compounds…
presión
It is borrowed from Latin pressiō (“pressure; a fulcrum”), recorded from 1737. The Latin noun is formed from premō (“to press”), whose supine stem is ⟨press-⟩, with the suffix -tiō; Vitruvius uses…
prestar
It is inherited from Old Spanish prestar, inherited from Latin praestō (“to stand out; to vouch for; to provide”). The Latin verb is formed from prae- (“before”) and sto (“to stand”). Corominas…
presto
Corominas treats the adjective as borrowed from Late Latin praestus (“present, at hand; ready”), the Late Latin form of the classical invariable praestō (“at hand, ready”), a word related to the…
presumir
It is borrowed from Latin praesūmō (“to take beforehand”), a learned word. The Latin verb is made of prae- (“before”) and sūmō (“to take”), the verb that Spanish continues as sumir. Corominas traces…
presuntuoso
It is borrowed from Late Latin praesumptuōsus (“presumptuous, arrogant”). The Latin adjective is formed from praesūmptus with the suffix -ōsus (“full of”). That form is the participle of praesūmō…
pretexto
It is borrowed from Latin praetextus (“appearance, show; pretext”). The Latin noun was formed from praetexō (“to border, edge; to put forward as an excuse”), which Corominas glosses as “to put…
pretor
It is borrowed from Latin praetor (“leader; praetor”). Corominas dates it to about 1580, in Ambrosio de Morales, but the history of Spain written for Alfonso X already has it. The Latin noun is…
prevenir
It is borrowed from Latin praeveniō (“to come before, anticipate”), formed from prae- (“before”) and veniō (“to come”). In Latin the verb meant “to arrive first” and then “to anticipate, forestall”…
preventivo
It is a learned formation on from Latin praeventus (“anticipated, forestalled”), the past participle of praeveniō (“to come before, anticipate”), with the Spanish suffix -ivo. The Latin verb is…
prever
It is borrowed from Latin praevideō (“to see beforehand, foresee”), adapted to the form and conjugation of ver. Wiktionary calls it a borrowing that can also be analysed as from Spanish pre- + ver…
primavera
It is inherited from Old Spanish primavera, inherited from Vulgar Latin prima vera (“the beginning of spring”). This Vulgar Latin form reshaped the classical phrase Latin prīmō vēre (“at the…
primero
It is inherited from Old Spanish primero, inherited from Latin prīmārius (“of the first rank, chief”). In the Hispanic and Gallo-Romance languages and part of Rhaeto-Romance it replaced prīmus…
primo
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…
principal
It is inherited from Old Spanish prinçipal, borrowed from Latin principālis (“original, primary; chief; of the emperor”), a learned word. Corominas lists it among the derivatives of príncipe, with a…
príncipe
It is borrowed from Latin prīnceps (“first; chief, ruler”), a learned word. The Latin word is a compound of prīmus (“first”). Corominas takes the second part as caput (“head”), but Lewis & Short…
prisión
It is inherited from Old Spanish presón, inherited from Latin prehensio (“a seizing, arrest”). Corominas and the Breve diccionario call it a semi-learned word, Wiktionary a semi-learned borrowing…
privado
It is inherited from Latin prīvātus (“set apart; private”), the past participle of prīvō (“to deprive, set apart”), which Spanish continues as privar. Corominas sees no decisive reason to regard the…
probable
It is borrowed from Latin probabilis (“commendable; plausible”). Corominas notes that its proper sense was “worthy of approval”. The Latin adjective is formed from probō (“to approve, prove”) with…
probar
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…
probidad
It is a learned borrowing, borrowed from Latin probĭtās (“uprightness, honesty”). Wiktionary analyses it instead as a Spanish formation from probo (“honest”) with the suffix -idad. The DCECH…
problema
It is borrowed from Latin problēma (“a question proposed for solution”), from Ancient Greek πρόβλημα (próblēma, “task; question put forward”). Corominas records it from Covarrubias (1611); the CDH…
proceder
It is borrowed from Latin prōcēdō (“to go forward, advance”), a learned word. The verb is formed from Latin prō- + cēdō (“to go”). From “to go forward” came “to pass on to another thing”, and in…
proceso
It is borrowed from Latin prōcessus (“advance, progression”), a noun formed on prōcēdō (“to go forward, advance”); Corominas records it first in Berceo. The Latin verb is made of prō- (“forward”)…