Spanish Word Histories and Mysteries

by American Heritage Dictionary

• ISBN13: 9780618910540
• ISBN10: 0618910549
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-11-14
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Summary

Most people know that words like burrito and quesadilla come from Spanish, but there are many more English words that we would never suspect are Spanish until we look closely. Did you know that the words breeze and hammock come from Spanish? The jerky in beef jerky, for example, is from Spanish charqui, and the English verb vamoose is from the expression ?Vamos! which means Let's go! in Spanish. Spanish Word Histories and Mysteries: English Words that Come from Spanish tells the fascinating stories behind 200 English words from Spanish. Every sphere of English vocabulary has been enriched by Spanish, from names for animalsalligator, coyote, and mosquitoto words for weatherhurricane and tornado. This book also explores the Spanish origin of some of the colorful expressions of the Old West: bonanza, loco, mustang, ranch, and ten-gallon hat. Of course, the book digs into the many words for different foods that come from Spanishnot only the obvious ones, such as salsa and taco, but also potato, tomato, caramel, vanilla, and, most important, chocolate. Photographs and line drawings enliven the pages and illustrate the history of the words.

Table of Contents

Editorial and Production Staff
Introduction
Pronunciation Key and Other Symbols
Spanish Word Histories and Mysteries	p. 1
Glossary	p. 237
A Note on Sources	p. 244
Index	p. 249
Picture Credits	p. 258
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.