abaca 

via Spanish from Tagalog abaká

abalone 

from Spanish abulón, from Ohlone

adiós

from spanish "good bye"

alidade 

via French and Spanish from Arabic al-idada, "the revolving radius"

alligator 

from el lagarto, "the lizard"

alpaca 

from Spanish, from Aymara allpaka

aludel 

from Old French alutel, via Spanish from Arabic al-utal, "the sublimation vessel"

amigo 

from Spanish and/or Portuguese amigo, "friend"

amole 

Mexican Spanish

amontillado 

from the village of Montilla, Province of Córdoba, Spain

ancho 

from Mexican Spanish (chile) ancho, "wide (chili)"

anchovy 

from Spanish anchoa or more probably Portuguese anchova

Angeleno 

from American Spanish

Apache 

from Mexican Spanish

armada 

from the Spanish navy, La armada española

armadillo 

from armadillo, "little armored one"

arroyo 

from arroyo, "stream"

avocado 

alteration of Spanish aguacate, from Nahuatl ahuacatl

ayahuasca

B

banana 

from Spanish or Portuguese banana, probably from a Wolof word - Arabic "ba' nana" fingers

bandolier 

from Spanish bandolera, ="band (for a weapon or other) that crosses from one shoulder to the opposite hip" and bandolero, ="he who wears a bandolier"

barbecue 

from the Chibcha word barbacoa

barracuda 

from barracuda

barranca 

from Spanish barranca or barranco, ="ravine"

barriada 

from Spanish barrio, "neighborhood", from Arabic barri

barrio 

from Spanish barrio, "neighborhood", from Arabic barri

bastinado 

from bastonada, from Spanish bastón, cane

bodega 

from Spanish and/or Portuguese bodega, ="cellar"

bolase 

from Spanish bolas, =balls

bolero 

from Spanish bolero

bonanza 

from bonanza

bonito 

from Spanish bonito, ="beautiful"

bobby 

from Spanish bobo ="silly"

breeze 

from brisa or from Frisian briesen - to blow (wind)

bronco or broncho 

from bronco

buckaroo 

from vaquero, ="cowboy"

burrito 

from burrito, = a dish originally from Northern Mexico, literally "little donkey"

burro 

from burro, ="donkey"

C

caballero 

from Spanish caballero="knight/gentleman", from caballo, ="horse"

cabana 

from Spanish cabaña or Portuguese cabana

cacique 

from Spanish, from Taino, a chief

cafeteria 

from cafetería, "coffee store"

calaboose 

from Louisiana French calabouse, from Spanish calabozo

caldera (used in geology) 

from Spanish caldera, "=cauldron"

California 

place name first seen in print in 1510 Spanish novel "Las Sergas de Esplandían" by García Ordóñez de Montalvo

camarilla 

from camarilla ="small room"

camino 

from camino a path or road, from caminar to walk

cannibal 

from Spanish caníbal, alteration of caríbal, from Caribe

canoe 

from Spanish canoa, from Haitian canaoua

canyon 

from cañón

carabao

from Spanish from Visayan language, from Malay language.

caramba

from Spanish ; expression of dread, displeasure, or disapproval, euphemism for carajo ="penis"

carbonado 

from carbonada, from carbón ="coal"

cargo 

from cargo, carga ="load"

Caribbean 

from Spanish Caribe, from name of Carib Indians of the region.

cassava 

from cazabe, from Taino caçábi

caudillo 

from caudillo

cedilla 

from cedilla, archaic spelling zedilla (little z)

chaparral 

from Spanish, chaparro = small evergreen oak, from Basque "txapar"

chaps 

from Mexican Spanish chaparreras, leg protectors for riding through chaparral

chayote 

from Spanish, from Nahuatl chayotl

chicha 

from Spanish chicha, from Panama native American language chichab, ="maize"

chicle 

from chicle, from Nahuatl tzictli

chile 

from Spanish chile, from Nahuatl chilli

chipotle 

from Spanish, smoked jalapeño, from Nahuatl chilpoctli

chocolate 

from Spanish chocolate, from Nahuatl xocolatl

chorizo 

from chorizo

churros 

from churros

cigar 

from Spanish cigarro, from Mayan sicar, sic (="tobacco")

cigarette 

from French cigarette, diminutive of French cigare, from Spanish cigarro

cilantro 

from Spanish cilantro', "coriander"

coca 

from Spanish, coca, from Quechua kúka

cockroach 

from Spanish cucaracha

cocoa or cacao 

from Spanish cacao, from Nahuatl cacáhuatl

cojones 

from Spanish cojones, to denote courage

Colorado

from Spanish colorado, red or colored

comrade 

from French camarade, from Spanish camarada

condor 

from Spanish, from Quechua cuntur

conquistador 

from conquistador, from conquista="conquest"

coquina 

from coquina, dim. form of "concha" = seashell; a sedimentary rock of NE Florida

cordillera 

from cordillera

corral 

from corral

corrida

a bullfight

coyote 

from Spanish coyote, from Nahuatl coyotl

creole 

from French créole, from Spanish criollo, from Portuguese crioulo, raised in the house

crimson 

from Old Spanish cremesín, from Arabic qirmizI, from qirmiz kermes

crusade 

blend of Middle French croisade & Spanish cruzada; both ultimately from Latin cruc-, crux cross

cumbia 

from Spanish cumbia, a popular dance (for couples) originating in Colombia, Panama and Argentina

D

daiquiri 

from Daiquiri, a port city in eastern Cuba

dengue 

from Spanish dengue, from Swahili dinga, = "seizure"

desperado 

from Spanish desesperado, desperate

E

El Dorado 

from El Dorado, literally, "the golden one"

El Niño 

from El Niño de la Navidad, literally, "the Christmas child" due to the warming of Pacific waters seemed to warm around Christmas

Embarcadero 

from embarcadero a boat dock

embargo 

from Spanish embargar ="to bar"

escabeche 

from escabeche

F

Florida

from La Florida, the flowery or plant-filled place

G

guerrilla 

from spanish "small war"

H

hacienda 

from Old Spanish facienda

hackamore 

from Spanish jaquima

hombre 

from Spanish "hombre" same as man and he-man: macho or very strong, tough, and masculine man.

hoosegow

from Spanish juzgado, courthouse, from juzgar, to judge

hurricane 

from Spanish huracán, from Taino hurákan; akin to Arawak kulakani, thunder

I

Inca 

from Spanish inca, from Quechua

incommunicado 

from incomunicado

iguana 

from Spanish iguana from Arawak

J

jade 

from Spanish piedra de ijada

jaguar 

from Spanish jaguar from Guaraní yaguar

jalapeño

from Spanish, a type of spicy chilli named after Jalapa de Enríquez, a town in Mexico, and the capital of the state of Veracruz

jerky 

from Spanish charqui, from Quechua ch'arki, ="dried flesh"

junta or junto

from Spanish junta, a group of leaders, usually military officers in a coup d'état. As an adjective it means "together".

K

key 

from Spanish cayo, from Taino (this is English 'key'/'cay'/'quay' as in an island, reef or a linked series of them, not the 'key' with which you lock/unlock)

L

lariat 

from la reata, = the strap, rein, or rope

lasso 

from Spanish lazo

loco 

from loco, =mad, crazy

Lolita 

from the diminutive for Lola, short for Dolores

M

mesa 

from mesa, table. The corresponding Spanish word to a flat top mountain is meseta

mescal 

from Spanish mezcal, from Nahuatl mexcalli

mesquite 

from Mexican Spanish mezquite, from Nahuatl mizquitl

mestizo 

from mestizo

mojito 

dim. formed from "mojado" = dipped, or wet, probably referring to the mint in the drink

mole 

from Spanish, from Nahuatl molli (="sauce")

Montana

from montaña, a mountain

mosquito 

from mosquito, literally "little fly"

mulatto 

from Spanish or Portuguese mulato

mustang 

from mestengo or mesteño, ="without known master or owner" (archaic)

mustee 

from mestizo

N

nacho 

from Nacho, a nickname for the given name Ignacio, inventor of the snack

nada 

from "Nada", introduced by E. Hemingway, slang, ="nothing".

negro 

from Spanish or Portuguese negro, ="black"

Nevada

from Nevada literally "snowy"

O

olé 

an interjection, an expression of approval or triumph, similar to the Italian bravo, used by spectators of bull fights or football (soccer) matches

oregano 

from orégano

P

pachuco 

from pachuco

paella 

from Spanish paella, from Catalan paella (saucepan)

palmetto 

from palmito, diminutive form of the word for palm.

pampa 

from Spanish, from Quechua pampa, =plain

papaya 

from japaya, akin to Arawak papáia

patio 

from patio, inner courtyard, ="an open paved area adjacent to a home"

peccadillo 

from pecadillo, ="small sin"

peccary 

from Spanish pecarí, from Guaraní

peon 

from Spanish peón (="laborer")

peyote 

from Spanish, from Nahuatl peyotl (="caterpillar")

Philippines 

from Latin ="islands of king Philip II of Spain", in Spanish Filipinas

piccadill 

from picadillo

pimento or pimiento 

from pimiento

pinta 

from pinta

piña colada 

from Spanish piña = pineapple and colada = enamored with, crazy about

Piragua 

from the combination of Spanish words Piramide = "pyramid" and Agua = "water"

pisco 

from pisco

placer mining 

from placer, ="sand bank"

platinum 

from platina, ="little silver" (now "Platino")

playa 

from playa

plaza 

from plaza',' ="public square, spot or place"

poncho 

from poncho, from Araucanian

posada 

from posada

potato 

from European Spanish patata, itself from batata, = "sweet potato", from Taino and papa, "potato" from Quechua

pronto 

from spanish "immediately"

pronunciamento 

from pronunciamiento proclamation, ="military coup d'état", usually establishing a military dictatorship (often a junta)

puma 

from Spanish, from Quechua

puna 

from puna, from Quechua

Q

quadroon 

from cuarterón

quechua 

from Spanish, from Quechua qishwa, valley of temperate weather

quesadilla 

from quesadilla, diminutive of "queso" = cheese.

Quetzal 

from Spanish, from Nahuatl "quetzalli": a group of colourful birds of the trogon family found in tropical regions of the Americas. It also may refer to Guatemalan quetzal, the currency of Guatemala.

quinoa 

from Spanish quinua, from Quechua kinua

quirt 

from Spanish cuarta = a short horseman's whip, from "one fourth" (of a vara)

R

ranch 

from rancho, a hut

reconquista 

from reconquista ="reconquest"

remuda 

from Mexican Spanish remudar, to exchange (horses)

renegade 

from renegado

robalo 

from Spanish róbalo, a tropical marine game and fish food

roble 

from Spanish roble= a California oak tree

rodeo 

from rodeo and verb rodear (to go around)

rumba 

from rumba

S

saguaro 

from saguaro, from Piman

salsa 

from salsa, ="sauce"

sapodilla 

from zapotillo

sarabande 

from French sarabande in turn from Spanish zarabanda

savanna 

from sabana, from Taino zabana

savvy 

from Spanish or Portuguese sabe, "knows"

shack 

perhaps from Mexican Spanish jacal, from Nahuatl xacalli

sherry 

from Old Spanish Xerés [?e'?es], modern Spanish Jerez [xe'?e?]

sierra 

from sierra, a saw

siesta 

from siesta, ="nap", maybe lusism, from Latin Sexta [hora]

silo 

from silo

sombrero 

from sombrero (literally, shade maker), ="hat"

stampede 

from estampida

stockade 

from a French derivation of the Spanish estocada

T

taco 

from taco

tamale 

from Spanish tamales, pl. of tamal, from Nahuatl tamalli, dumpling made from corn flour

tango 

from Spanish tango, from Latin tango ="I touch"

tapioca 

from tapioca

ten-gallon hat

from Spanish tan galán = how gallant (looking); alternate theory is the gallon of Texas English here is a misunderstanding of galón = braid

tequila 

from tequila

tilde 

from tilde

tiri 

from tiro

tobacco

from Spanish tabaco

tomatillo 

from Spanish tomatillo, ="small tomate" (see Physalis philadelphica)

tomato 

from Spanish tomate, from Nahuatl xitomatl

toreador 

from toreador

torero 

from torero, from toro ="bull"

tornado 

from Spanish tornado

tortilla 

from tortilla, "little torta" = cake. Currently means "omelet" in Spain; in Spanish America = small cake of either corn meal or wheat flour

tuna 

from Spanish atún, from Arabic tun, from Latin thunnus, from Greek ??????, thynnos (=tuna fish)

turista 

from turista ="tourist"

V

vamoose 

from vamos, meaning "let's go"

vanilla 

from Spanish vainilla, from vaina,="pod"

vicuña 

from Spanish, from Quechua wikunna

vigilante 

from Spanish vigilante, meaning watchman

W

wrangler 

shortened from Spanish caballerango, a groom neigh

Z

Zorro 

from Portuguese/Spanish zorro, a fox, originally "smart"

See also

• List of Spanish words of Indigenous American Indian origin