Common English Words You Might Not Know Were Native American
Sure, you know Tobacco entered the English language from the indigenous peoples of the Americas, via the Spanish. But there are dozens of other words that we use every day that you may not realize are rooted in North, Central, and South America.
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1. Avocado
Root language: Nahuatl
Region: Mexico
From the word huacatl meaning "testicle."
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2. Barbecue
Root language: Arawakan
Region: South America
From the word barbakoa meaning "framework of sticks."
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3. Bayou
Root language: Choctaw
From the word bayuk meaning "creek, river."
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4. Cannibal
Root language: Cariban
From the word "karípona" meaning "person." Early Spanish explorers believed that the Caribs ate people. -
5. Canoe
Root language: Arawakan Taino
From the word "canoa." via -
6. Caribou
Root language: Algonquin
From the word qalipu meaning "snow shoveler."
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7. Cashew
Root language: Tupi Guaraní
From the word acaîu
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8. Cayenne
Root language: Tupi Guaraní
From the word: kyinha
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9. Chili
Root language: Nahuatl
From the word ch+lli
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10. Chipmunk
Root language: Algonquin
Originally "chitmunk," from the Odawa word jidmoonh meaning "red squirrel."
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11. Chocolate
Root language: Nahuatl
Comes from the words xococ -"bitter", and tl - "water."
In its traditional form, chocolate was primarily served as an unsweetened drink.
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12. Cocoa
Root language: Nahuatl
From the word cacahuatl.
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13. Condor
Root language: Quechua
From the word kuntur
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14. Cougar
Root language: Tupi Guaraní
A corruption of guaçu ara.
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15. Coyote
Root language: Nahuatl
From the word coyMtl
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16. Guacamole
Root language: Nahuatl
From huacamMlli meaning "avocado sauce."
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17. Hammock
Root language: Arawakan
From Taino via Spanish hamaca.
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18. Hickory
Root language: Algonquin-Powhatan
From pocohiquara meaning "milky drink made with hickory nuts." Today hickory can refer to the tree, the finished wood, the nuts, or even the flavor. -
19. Hooch
Root language: Tlingit
A shortened form of Hoochinoo, from the word xutsnuuwú, originally the name of a village meaning "brown bear fort. -
20. Hurricane
Root language: Arawakan - Taino
From the word hurakán.
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21. Husky
Root language: Algonquin
A variant of the word Eskimo from the Innu language word aiachkimeou.
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22. Iguana
Root language: Arawakan
From the word iwana
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23. Jaguar
Root language: Tupi Guaraní
From the word jaÈwar
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24. Jerky
Root language: Quechua
From the word ch'arki
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25. Kayak
Root languages: Eskimo-Aleut
From the word qajaq.
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26. Llama
Root language: Quechua
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27. Manatee
Root language: Cariban
From a word meaning "woman's breast." -
28. Moose
Root language: Algonquin
From Eastern Abenaki moz
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29. Ocelot
Root language: Nahuatl
From a href= oclMtl. -
30. Opossum
Root language: Algonquin
From the Powhatan word aposoum meaning, "white dog-like animal." -
31. Pecan
Root language: Algonquin
From the Illinois word pakani.
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32. Petunia
Root language: Tupi Guaraní
From the word petun meaning "smoke."
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33. Potato
Root language: Arawakan
Via the Haitian Carib word batata.
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34. Puma
Root language: Quechua
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35. Raccoon
Root language: Algonquin
From the word arahkun.
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36. Skunk
Root language: Algonquin
From the Massachusett word squnck meaning "urine fox."
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37. Squash
Root language: Algonquin
From the Narragansett word askútasquash.
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38. Tapioca
Root language: Tupi Guaraní
From a word meaning "juice squeezed out" the word is now applied to the root starch and the pudding made from it.
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39. Toboggan
Root language: Algonquin
From Míkmaq word topaaqan meaning "to drag with a cord." Today the word primarily refers to the sled throughout most of the United States. However, in some southern states where it doesn't snow enough for sledding, the word has become a regional slang for the type of hat one would wear in cold weather, such as a knit stocking cap. Via -
40. Toucan
Root language: TupiGuaraní
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41. Tomato
Root language: Nahuatl
From the word tomatl.
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42. Woodchuck
Root language: Algonquin
A corruption of the word ockqutchaun.
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