Alpaca
/ælˈpækə/noun
A domesticated South American camelid valued for its soft wool, or the fleece itself.
Did you know?The English word comes through Spanish from an Indigenous Andean source, likely Quechua or Aymara, showing how colonial trade preserved a native name for a sacred highland animal.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian Andes
Quechua/Aymara
allpaqa / paqom
“An Andean camelid, especially the domesticated fiber animal”
16th Century
Spanish
alpaca
“The Andean animal and its wool”
17th–18th Century
English
alpaca
“The South American camelid; later, its soft wool or fabric”
Modern English
English
alpaca
“A domesticated camelid native to the Andes, prized for its fleece”