Various English Words Derived from Spanish

Without further adieu, here are English words from Spanish :

alcove
From the Spanish word "alcoba"(which itself is originally from the Arabic word "al-qubba")

armadillo
This cute little animal is derived directly from the Spanish word "armadillo" and means "the little armed one"


booby
From the Spanish word "bobo" which means "foolish" or "silly".

bravo
You know this word, it's an exclamation for a good job - bravo! It's from Old Spanish.

bunco
This word means "a swindle or cheat" in English, and the verb form is the act of doing so. It's derived from the Spanish word banco or "bank."


canasta
this is a form of the card game rummy. It uses two full decks, where players or groups try to combine groups of at least three cards(of the same rank and score bonuses) for 7-card melds. From the word "Basket" and a direct loanword.


chihuahua

Everyone knows the famous chihuahua! This dog breed was named after Chihuahua, the Mexican state and city .

cinch
It's a "cinch" means it's easy. This is from the word cincho, meaning "belt"


comrade
Usually used in a military setting, this fun word is derived from camarada, meaning "roommate."

embargo

An embargo is a ban of imports/exports of a certain country. From embargar(to bar).



mano a mano
This literally means "hand to hand" and in English it usually means "head to head" or "one on one."

mesa
We know mesas as elevated landforms with flat tops. In Spanish, mesa means table!


mustang
Derived from the Spanish word "mestengo"(meaning stray), this refers to a free horse of the American-West.

tamarillo
This is an interesting type of fruit, native to South America originally(but now grown in gardens elsewhere). The word tamarillo is derived from the Spanish word tomatillo, or small tomato.

vamoose
Here's a funny one - vamoose, which means to depart, is derived directly from "vamos" which literally means "let us go."

vigilante
This one is easy to remember! It's from the Spanish word vigilante meaning, yep - vigilant. And a vigilante is someone who takes the law into their own hands, whether by legal merit or not.

Muy Bueno(very good)! You've now learned enough Spanish to convince a Spaniard or Latin American that you're legit, and a potential comrade! Remember, it's all practice