Spanish words from Latin
398 Spanish words with Latin in their history, whether borrowed directly or passed on through other languages (page 3).
ejército
It is inherited from Old Spanish exército, borrowed from Latin exercitus (“physical exercise; army”), a learned word. The DCECH explains the Latin noun as properly “a body of men trained for war”…
el
It is inherited from Latin ille (“that”) or its accusative, a demonstrative that in Late Latin was already used in popular speech as a mere article, with the sound changes of an unstressed word. The…
en
It is inherited from Latin in (“in, into”), already Old Spanish en. Corominas leaves its history to the grammars. Latin in, written en in the Duenos inscription, goes back to Proto-Italic *en and…
ensayo
It is inherited from Late Latin exagium (“a weighing”), a Late Latin word of the same family as the classical exigō (“to weigh, examine”) and exāmen (“a weighing, examination”). Wiktionary describes…
entero
It is inherited from Latin integer (“untouched, intact, whole”), in the Vulgar Latin pronunciation intēgrum with the stress on the second syllable. Since Latin /ɡr/ between vowels normally gave…
entrar
It is inherited from Old Spanish entrar, inherited from Latin intrāre (“to enter”). The Glosas Silenses still have the Latin-looking spelling ⟨intrato⟩. The Latin verb is formed from intrā…
esclavo
It is borrowed from Medieval Latin sclavus (“slave”), which is from Byzantine Greek σκλάβος (sklábos, “Slav; slave”). Corominas thinks the word reached Castilian indirectly, most likely through…
ese
It is inherited from Latin ipse (“himself, the same”). The regular outcome was Old Spanish es, used in the Cid, the Libro de Alexandre and Berceo; it was replaced by ese on the model of este. Berceo…
especial
It is borrowed from Latin speciālis (“particular, special”). The Latin adjective is formed from speciēs (“kind, type; appearance”) with the suffix -ālis, and DICCA-XV traces the noun to speciō (“to…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
familia
It is borrowed from Latin familia (“household; the slaves and servants of a house”), a learned word. The Latin noun belongs with famulus (“servant, slave”); the Spanish dictionaries derive it from…
faro
It is borrowed from Latin pharus (“lighthouse”), from Ancient Greek φάρος (pháros), the common noun made from the name of the island of Pharos, off the harbour of Alexandria where the most famous…
fiesta
It is a semi-learned word, inherited from Late Latin festa, originally the plural of festum (“feast, festival”), the neuter of the adjective festus (“festive”), which is related to feria. Corominas…
figura
It is borrowed from Latin figūra (“shape, form; image; manner”), a learned word in Spanish as in all the Romance languages. The Latin noun is derived from fingō (“to knead, mould, give shape to”)…
fingir
It is borrowed from Latin fingō (“to knead; to shape; to invent”), a learned word. The inherited outcome of the same Latin verb is heñir “to knead”. A Latin charter of León of 1020 already uses…
firma
It is a deverbal noun from Spanish firmar (“to sign”). Corominas lists it among the derivatives of firme, dating the verb to the 10th century and the noun to 1206. The verb is from Latin firmō (“to…
firmar
It continues inherited from Latin firmō (“to make firm, strengthen, confirm”), a derivative of firmus (“firm, stable”). Corominas lists it among the derivatives of firme and explains why its ⟨f-⟩…
flor
It is inherited from Old Spanish flor, inherited from Latin flōs (“flower”). The same Latin word is Portuguese flor, Catalan flor, Occitan flor, French fleur, Italian fiore and Romanian floare, and…
formar
It is borrowed from Latin fōrmō (“to shape, fashion”), derived from fōrma (“form, shape; beauty”). Corominas treats the noun forma as a very old semi-learned word, found already in the Glosas…
fuego
It is inherited from Late Latin focus (“fire”), through Old Spanish fuego. In classical Latin the word was the hearth, the household fire or a brazier; from at least the 4th century it was used in…
fuerte
It is inherited from Latin fortis (“strong, robust”), through Old Spanish fuerte. The stressed short /o/ of Latin became the diphthong /we/, written ⟨ue⟩. The same Latin word is Portuguese forte…
fumar
Corominas takes it as probably borrowed from French fumer (“to smoke”), which had the sense of smoking tobacco from 1664. Wiktionary follows him. The French verb is from Latin fūmāre (“to give off…
furioso
It is borrowed from Latin furiōsus (“full of rage; mad”), a learned word. DEMel records it in Alfonso X's Siete Partidas (1256–1265); the DCECH and the BDELC date it from the Corbacho of 1438. Like…
gastar
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…
gato
The word for the cat is inherited from Old Spanish gato, inherited from Late Latin cattus (“cat”), a word of uncertain origin. The same word is Portuguese gato, Galician gato, Catalan gat, French…
genio
It is borrowed from Latin genius (“tutelary deity of a person; inborn nature”), a learned word, like all its Spanish derivatives. The Latin noun is derived from gigno (“to beget”). Wiktionary traces…
gente
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…
gobernador
It is inherited from Old Spanish gouernador, inherited from Latin gubernātor (“helmsman, pilot”). Corominas lists it among the derivatives of gobernar, from gubernō (“to steer a ship; to govern”)…
gracioso
It is borrowed from Latin grātiōsus (“enjoying favour; obliging”), formed on grātia (“favour, gratitude”) with the suffix -ōsus. Corominas instead lists it among the derivatives of gracia, itself a…
grande
It is inherited from Latin grandis (“full-grown, large”); the Old Spanish form was already grande. The Latin word meant “grandiose” and “advanced in age”, and was more at home in spoken Latin than…
gritar
It continues inherited from Vulgar Latin *crītāre (“to cry out”), which is probably a contraction of Latin quirītō (“to cry out for help, raise a public outcry”). The word is common to the western…
guerra
It is inherited from Old Spanish guerra, borrowed from Medieval Latin werra, which is from Frankish *werʀu (“confusion; quarrel”). The BDELC and García de Diego name a Germanic, Frankish or West…
hacer
It is inherited from Old Spanish fazer, inherited from Latin faciō (“to make, do”). The oldest record is the short infinitive fere of the Glosas Emilianenses, and a charter of 1030 has facer. The…
hambre
It is inherited from Old Spanish fambre, earlier famne, inherited from Vulgar Latin *famen (“hunger”), a Vulgar Latin form of Latin famēs (“hunger”). The DCECH starts from the Vulgar Latin…
hermoso
It is inherited from Old Spanish fermoso, inherited from Latin fōrmōsus (“finely formed, beautiful”). Classical Latin had both pulcher and this word; the first, more frequent and more abstract, left…
hombre
It is inherited from Latin homo (“human being, man”); the Old Spanish form was omne. The Latin accusative ⟨hominem⟩ lost its unstressed middle vowel, giving ⟨omne⟩; this was dissimilated to omre…
hombro
It is inherited from Old Spanish ombro, inherited from Latin umerus (“shoulder”). The Latin spelling humerus is late and incorrect. Gómez de Silva puts its ⟨h⟩ down to hypercorrection. The learned…
hora
It is inherited from Latin hōra (“hour”), which was borrowed from Greek ὥρα (hṓra, “period of time, division of the day, hour”). The same Latin word is Portuguese hora, Catalan hora, French heure…
horrible
It is borrowed from Latin horribilis (“terrifying, dreadful”), a learned word. The Latin adjective is formed from horreō (“to bristle, to stand on end; to shudder”) with the suffix -bilis. The Latin…
huir
It is inherited from Old Spanish fuir, inherited from Vulgar Latin fugīre, the form Vulgar Latin used for the classical infinitive of Latin fugere (“to flee”). The Romance languages all point to…
humo
It is inherited from Old Spanish fumo, inherited from Latin fūmus (“smoke”). The same word is common to all the Romance languages: Portuguese fumo, Galician fume, Catalan fum, Occitan fum, Italian…
igual
It is inherited from Old Spanish egual, inherited from Latin aequālis (“of the same size or age; equal”), from aequus (“flat, smooth, even; equal”). egual is Berceo's usual form, but igual already…
imagen
It is borrowed from Latin imāgō (“representation, portrait, image”). Frequent at all periods, it soon became a popular word as a religious term. The form omagen in the Libro de Alexandre has a match…
imaginación
It is borrowed from Latin imāginātiō, the noun of action of imāginor (“to picture to oneself”), from imāgō (“image, likeness”). Corominas lists it among the derivatives of imagen, beside imaginar…
imaginar
It is borrowed from Latin imāginor (“to picture to oneself, imagine”), formed from imāgō (“image, likeness”). From the variant maginar comes the popular noun magín “wits, imagination”, first in the…
imposible
It is borrowed from Latin impossibilis (“impossible”), one of the learned words of the family of poder. The Latin adjective is formed from in- (“not”) and possibilis (“possible”), which in turn is…
inteligente
It is borrowed from Latin intelligēns (“understanding; expert”), a variant of intellegēns. The Latin word is the present participle of intellegō (“to understand”); the spelling with ⟨e⟩ is the more…