Cochimí
/ko.tʃiˈmiː/noun
Cochimí refers to an Indigenous people of central Baja California and to their now-extinct language.
Did you know?Cochimí is not merely an old word: it identifies a people whose language became extinct during the twentieth century, although some descendants continue to identify as Cochimí.
Etymological Timeline
Precolonial period
Cochimí
[Native form uncertain]
“The Indigenous name used within the Cochimí linguistic and cultural tradition is not securely recoverable from surviving documentation.”
18th Century
Spanish
cochimí
“Spanish colonial designation for an Indigenous people and language of Baja California.”
18th Century
Spanish
lengua cochimí
““Cochimí language,” as used in missionary and colonial descriptions.”
19th Century
English
Cochimí
“English-language ethnographic name for the people and their language.”
Modern English
English
Cochimí
“A proper noun referring to the Indigenous people, their historical territory, or their extinct language.”