List of English words from indigenous languages of the Americas facts for kids

This article is about English words that come from the indigenous languages of the Americas. These words were "borrowed" into English, sometimes directly, and sometimes through other European languages like Spanish or French.

Most of these words are names for plants and animals found in the Americas. They also describe things related to the life and culture of Native American and First Nations peoples. For example, the giant sequoia trees are named after the Cherokee leader Sequoyah.

Words from Algonquian Languages

For a list of words relating to with Algonquian language origins, see the Algonquian derivations category of words in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

People speaking Algonquian languages were often the first Indigenous groups to meet English explorers and settlers. This happened along the Eastern Seaboard. Because of this, many words from Algonquian languages became part of the English language.

Many places in North America also have names that come from Algonquian languages. For instance, the name Mississippi comes from words meaning "great river." Michigan comes from words meaning "great sea." Canadian provinces and U.S. states, like Québec, Ottawa, Saskatchewan, Wyoming, and Chicago, also have Algonquian names.

Some Indigenous groups are better known by their Algonquian names, even if they have their own names for themselves. Examples include the Eskimo and Sioux.

Here are some English words that come from Algonquian languages:

• Apishamore: From an Algonquian word meaning "something to lie down upon."
• Atamasco lily: From the Powhatan language.
• Babiche: From the Míkmaq word for "cord" or "thread."
• Caribou: From the Míkmaq word meaning "snow-shoveler."
• Caucus: This word's origin is debated. It might come from an Algonquian word for "counsel" or "advisor."
• Chinkapin: From the Powhatan language.
• Chipmunk: Originally "chitmunk," from the Odawa word for "American red squirrel."
• Cisco: Originally "siscowet," from the Ojibwe language word for a "greasy-bodied fish."
• Eskimo: From an Old Montagnais word. It means "snowshoe-netter."
• Hackmatack: From an Algonquian word for "snowshoe boughs."
• Hickory: From the Powhatan word for a "milky drink made with hickory nuts."
• Hominy: From the Powhatan word meaning "that which is ground or beaten."
• Husky: This word comes from a different form of "Eskimo."
• Kinkajou: From an Algonquian word meaning "wolverine." It came into English through French.
• Kinnikinnick: From a Unami Delaware word meaning "mixture."
• Mackinaw: From an Ojibwe word meaning "large snapping turtle."
• Moccasin: From an Algonquian language, possibly Powhatan.
• Moose: From the Eastern Abenaki word moz.
• Mugwump: From a Massachusett word meaning "war chief."
• Muskellunge: From the Ojibwe word for "ugly pike."
• Muskeg: From the Cree word for "swamp."
• Muskrat: This word was changed from an earlier form, "musquash." It came from the Massachusett language.
• Opossum: From the Powhatan word for a "white dog-like animal."
• Papoose: From a Narragansett or Massachusett word for "baby."
• Pecan: From the Illinois word for "nut."
• Pemmican: From the Cree word meaning "to make grease."
• Persimmon: From the Powhatan language.
• Pipsissewa: From the Abenaki word for "flower of the woods."
• Pokeweed: Likely from "puccoon" plus "weed."
• Pone: From the Powhatan word meaning "something roasted."
• Powwow: From the Narragansett word for "shaman" or "visionary."
• Puccoon: From the Powhatan language, meaning "red dye."
• Pung: A type of sleigh. It's a shorter form of "tom-pung," from an Algonquian language.
• Punkie: From a Munsee word meaning "dust" or "ashes."
• Quahog: From the Narragansett language.
• Quonset hut: From an Algonquian language, possibly meaning "small long place."
• Raccoon: From the Powhatan language.
• Sachem: From an Algonquian language word for "chief."
• Sagamore: Also from an Algonquian language word for "chief."
• Scup: Shortened from scuppaug, from the Narragansett language.
• Shoepac: From a Unami Delaware word for "shoes."
• Skunk: From the Massachusett word meaning "to urinate" and "fox."
• Squash (fruit): From the Narragansett language.
• Squaw: From the Massachusett word for "woman."
• Succotash: From the Narragansett word for "boiled whole kernels of corn."
• Tabagie: From the Algonquin language.
• Tautog: From the Narragansett language.
• Terrapin: From an Eastern Algonquian language, possibly Powhatan.
• Toboggan: From the Míkmaq word for a "cord-like object for dragging."
• Tomahawk: From the Powhatan word for an "instrument for cutting."
• Totem: From the Ojibwe word meaning "my totem" or "his totem," referring to a family group.
• Tuckahoe: From the Powhatan word for a "root used for bread."
• Tullibee: From the Ojibwe language.
• Wampum: From the Massachusett language, meaning "white strings of beads."
• Wanigan: From the Ojibwa word for "storage pit."
• Wapiti: From the Shawnee word meaning "white rump."
• Wickiup: From the Fox language, similar to "wigwam."
• Wigwam: From the Eastern Abenaki word wìkəwam.
• Woodchuck: This word was changed to sound like "wood" and "chuck." It came from an Algonquian language.

Words from Nahuatl

For a list of words relating to with Nahuatl language origins, see the Nahuatl derivations category of words in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Many words from Nahuatl, the language of the Aztec people, have entered English. Most of these words came through Spanish. Often, these words end in a sound like "-tl" or "-tli" in Nahuatl, which became "-te" in Spanish.

Here are some English words that come from Nahuatl:

• Achiote: From the Nahuatl word āchiotl.
• Atlatl: From the Nahuatl word ahtlatl.
• Atole: From the Nahuatl word atōlli.
• Avocado: From the Nahuatl word āhuacatl, meaning 'avocado'. It came through Spanish.
• Axolotl: From the Nahuatl word āxōlōtl, meaning 'water servant'. It came through Spanish.
• Aztec: From the Nahuatl word aztecatl, meaning 'coming from Aztlan'. It came through Spanish.
• Cacao and Cocoa: From the Nahuatl word cacahuatl.
• Chayote: From the Nahuatl word chayohtli.
• Chia: From the Nahuatl word chiyan.
• Chicle: From the Nahuatl word tzictli.
• Chili: From the Nahuatl word chīlli.
• Chipotle: From the Nahuatl word chilpoctli, meaning 'smoked chili'.
• Chocolate: This word's origin is complex. It might come from Nahuatl words for 'bitter water' or refer to a special stick used to prepare it.
• Copal: From the Nahuatl word copalli.
• Coyote: From the Nahuatl word coyōtl, through Spanish.
• Epazote: From the Nahuatl word epazōtl.
• Guacamole: From the Nahuatl word āhuacamōlli, meaning 'avocado sauce'. It came through Mexican Spanish.
• Hoatzin: From the Nahuatl word huāctzin.
• Jicama: From the Nahuatl word xicamatl.
• Mesquite: From the Nahuatl word mizquitl, through Spanish.
• Mezcal: From Nahuatl words meaning 'oven cooked agave'.
• Mole: From the Nahuatl word mōlli, meaning 'sauce'.
• Nixtamalization: From the Nahuatl word nixtamalli.
• Nopal: From the Nahuatl word nohpalli, meaning 'prickly pear cactus'. It came through American Spanish.
• Ocelot: From the Nahuatl word ocēlōtl, meaning 'jaguar', through French.
• Peyote: From the Nahuatl word peyōtl.
• Pinole: From the Nahuatl word pinolli, through Spanish.
• Quetzal: From the Nahuatl word quetzalli, meaning 'quetzal feather'.
• Sapodilla: From the Nahuatl word tzapocuahuitl.
• Sapota: From the Nahuatl word tzapotl.
• Shack: Possibly from the Nahuatl word xahcalli, meaning 'grass hut', through Mexican Spanish.
• Sotol: From the Nahuatl word tzotolli.
• Tamale: From the Nahuatl word tamalli, through Spanish.
• Tequila: From Nahuatl words meaning 'work' and 'place'.
• Tlacoyo: From the Nahuatl word tlahtlaōyoh.
• Tomato: From the Nahuatl word tomatl, through Spanish.
• Tule: From the Nahuatl word tōllin, meaning 'reed' or 'bulrush'.

Words from Quechua

Many words from Quechua, the language of the Inca people, have entered English. Most of these words came through Spanish.

Here are some English words that come from Quechua:

• Cachua: From the Quechua word qhachwa.
• Chinchilla: Possibly from Quechua.
• Chuño: From the Quechua word ch'uñu.
• Coca: From the Quechua word kuka, through Spanish.
• Condor: From the Quechua word kuntur, through Spanish.
• Gran Chaco: From the Quechua word chaku, meaning "hunt."
• Guanaco: From the Quechua word wanaku.
• Guano: From the Quechua word wanu, through Spanish.
• Inca: From the Quechua word Inka, meaning "lord" or "king."
• Jerky: From the Quechua word ch'arki, through Spanish.
• Lagniappe: From the Quechua word yapay, meaning "add" or "addition," through Spanish.
• Lima: From the Quechua word rimay, meaning "speak." It's named after the Rimaq river.
• Llama: From the Quechua word llama, through Spanish.
• Lucuma: From the Quechua word lukuma, through Spanish.
• Mashua: From the Quechua word maswa.
• Pampa: From the Quechua word pampa, meaning "a large plain," through Spanish.
• Pisco: From the Quechua word pisqu, meaning "bird."
• Puma: From the Quechua word puma, through Spanish.
• Quinine: From the Quechua word kinakina, through Spanish.
• Quinoa: From the Quechua word kinwa, through Spanish.
• Quipu: From the Quechua word khipu, through Spanish.
• Soroche: From the Quechua word suruqchi, meaning "altitude sickness."
• Vicuña: From the Quechua word wik'uña, through Spanish.
• Viscacha: From the Quechua word wisk'acha, through Spanish.

Words from Arawakan Languages

The Arawakan languages are spoken by many Indigenous groups in South America and the Caribbean. Many English words come from these languages, often through Spanish or French.

Here are some English words that come from Arawakan languages:

• Anole: From an Arawakan language, possibly through French.
• Barbecue: From an Arawakan language of Haiti, meaning "framework of sticks," through Spanish.
• Buccaneer: From an Arawakan word meaning "a wooden frame for smoking meat," through French.
• Cacique or cassique: From the Taíno or Arawak word for "chieftain."
• Caiman: From a Ta-Maipurean language, meaning "water spirit."
• Canoe: From the Taíno language, through Spanish.
• Cassava: From the Taíno word for "manioc meal," through Spanish or Portuguese.
• Cay: From the Taíno language, through Spanish.
• Guaiac: From the Taíno language, through Spanish and Latin.
• Guava: From an Arawakan language, through Spanish.
• Hammock: From the Taíno language, through Spanish.
• Hurricane: From the Taíno word hurakán, through Spanish.
• Iguana: From an Arawakan word iwana.
• Macana: From the Taíno language, through Spanish.
• Maize: From the Taíno word mahís, through Spanish.
• Mangrove: From the Taíno language, through Spanish or Portuguese.
• Papaya: From the Taíno language.
• Potato: From the Taíno or Haitian Carib word for 'sweet potato', through Spanish.
• Savanna: From the Taíno word zabana, through Spanish.
• Tobacco: Probably from an Arawakan language, through Spanish.
• Yuca: From the Taíno language, through Spanish.

Words from Tupi-Guaraní Languages

The Tupi-Guaraní family includes languages spoken in South America, especially Brazil and Paraguay. Many English words from this group came through Portuguese and French.

Here are some English words that come from Tupi-Guaraní languages:

• Acai: From the Tupi language, through Brazilian Portuguese.
• Ani: From the Tupi language.
• Agouti: From a Tupi–Guaraní language, through Portuguese and French.
• Cashew: From the Tupí language, through Portuguese.
• Capybara: From the Guaraní word meaning 'the grass eater', through Portuguese and French.
• Catupiry: From the Guaraní language, through Brazilian Portuguese.
• Cayenne: From the Tupí language, through French.
• Cougar: From the Guaraní language.
• Jaguar: From the Tupinambá language, through Portuguese and French.
• Jaguarundi: From the Guaraní language, through Portuguese.
• Maraca: From the Tupí language, through Portuguese.
• Macaw: From the Tupi language, through Portuguese. It might be named after a type of palm tree.
• Manioc: From the Tupinambá language, through Portuguese and French.
• Petunia: From the Tupí word meaning 'smoke', through Portuguese.
• Piranha: From the Tupí words for 'fish' and 'tooth', through Portuguese.
• Seriema: From the Tupinambá word meaning 'the crested one', through Portuguese.
• Tapioca: From the Tupinambá words meaning 'juice squeezed out', through Portuguese.
• Tapir: From the Tupinambá language, through Portuguese and French.
• Tegu: From the Tupinambá word for 'big lizard', through Portuguese.
• Toucan: From the Tupinambá language, through Portuguese and French.

Words from Other Indigenous Languages

Many other Indigenous languages of the Americas have also given words to English. These words often describe unique animals, plants, or cultural items from specific regions.

Here are some English words from other Indigenous languages:

• Abalone: From the Rumsen and Ohlone languages, through Spanish.
• Alpaca: From the Aymara language, through Spanish.
• Appaloosa: Named after the Palouse River, whose name comes from the Sahaptin language.
• Barracuda: From Spanish, possibly from the Carib language.
• Bayou: From the Choctaw word for "creek" or "river," through French.
• Camas: From the Nez Perce language.
• Cannibal: Through Spanish, from a Cariban language word meaning "person" or "Indian." This word was used because Europeans believed the Caribs ate human flesh.
• Catalpa: From the Creek word meaning "head-wing."
• Cenote: From the Yucatec Maya word meaning "well."
• Cheechako: From Chinook Jargon, meaning "new come."
• Chicha: Through Spanish, from the Kuna word for "maize" or a Nahuatl word for "fermented water."
• Chinook: From the Lower Chehalis language, the name of a village.
• Chuckwalla: From the Cahuilla language.
• Coho: From the Halkomelem language.
• Coontie: From the Creek language.
• Coypu: From the Mapudungun language, through American Spanish.
• Degu: From the Mapudungun language, through Spanish.
• Divi-divi: From the Cumanagoto language.
• Dory: From the Miskito language.
• Eulachon: From a Cree adaptation of Chinook Jargon.
• Gaucho: Through Spanish, probably from a South American Indigenous language like Araucanian, meaning 'wanderer'.
• Geoduck: From the Lushootseed language.
• Guan: From the Kuna language.
• High muckamuck: From Chinook Jargon, meaning "eat" or "food."
• Hogan: From the Navajo word hooghan.
• Hooch: A shorter form of "Hoochinoo," the name of a Tlingit village.
• Kachina: From the Hopi word katsína, meaning "spirit being."
• Jojoba: Through Spanish, from a Uto-Aztecan language.
• Kiva: From the Hopi word kíva, meaning "house."
• Kokanee: Possibly from the Twana language.
• Manatee: Through Spanish.
• Ohunka: From the Lakota word meaning "false" or "untrue."
• Peccary: From the Galilbi Carib language.
• Piki: From the Hopi language.
• Pogonip: From the Shoshone word for "fog."
• Poncho: From the Mapudungun word pontho, meaning "woolen fabric," through Spanish.
• Potlatch: From the Nuuchahnulth language, meaning "to make ceremonial gifts," through Chinook Jargon.
• Salal: From Chinook Jargon, from the Lower Chinook language.
• Saguaro: Through Spanish, from an Indigenous language, possibly Opata.
• Sasquatch: From the Halkomelem language.
• Sego: From the Ute-Southern Paiute language.
• Sequoia: From a Cherokee personal name, Sikwayi.
• Sockeye: From the Halkomelem language.
• Skookum: From Chinook Jargon, meaning "powerful" or "supernaturally dangerous."
• Tamarin: From a Cariban language, through French.
• Tipi: From the Lakota word thípi, meaning "house."
• Tupelo: Possibly from the Creek word meaning "swamp-tree."
• Wapatoo: From Chinook Jargon, meaning "arrowroot" or "wild potato."
• Wakinyan: From the Lakota words meaning "people/things" and "to fly."
• Yaupon: From the Catawba word meaning "wood/tree" and "leaf."

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Quechuismos en el idioma español para niños

• List of placenames of indigenous origin in the Americas
• List of place names in Canada of Aboriginal origin
• List of place names in New England of aboriginal origin
• List of Spanish words of Indigenous American Indian origin
• List of Spanish words of Nahuatl origin