LibraryWhere Words Come FromOne card

A LITTLE SOMETHING WORTH KNOWING

A small discovery. Yours to pass on.

Language & WordsOne small ahaWord

The word “Avocado” comes from, or was formed in, this language.

Think it. Then flip it.
ahamoraTap to reveal
Back to the cue
Language & WordsOne small aha
Your new ahaNahuatl

Avocado came through Spanish from Nahuatl ahuacatl, a word used for the fruit and also for a testicle. Its linguistic route is clearer than stories about exactly how that double meaning arose. Source: Wiktionary: avocado

ahamoraReference ↗

Keep the thread going

One answer is a beginning.

Share a little curiosity, or follow it into the full collection.

Flip the full deck →

More from Where Words Come From

A few more worth knowing.

  1. 15This brewed drink's name reached English through Turkish kahve from Arabic qahwa.RECALL
    Coffee

    Coffee traces through Turkish kahve to Arabic qahwa. A connection between the word and the Ethiopian region Kaffa is uncertain.

    Open this card ↗
  2. 16The word “Coffee” comes from, or was formed in, this language.RECALL
    Arabic

    Coffee traces through Turkish kahve to Arabic qahwa. A connection between the word and the Ethiopian region Kaffa is uncertain.

    Open this card ↗
  3. 17This word entered public use through Karel Čapek's R.U.R., published in 1920. Karel credited his brother Josef with suggesting the word, derived from robota, forced labor.RECALL
    Robot

    Robot entered public use through Karel Čapek's R.U.R., published in 1920. Karel credited his brother Josef with suggesting the word,…

    Open this card ↗