Nopal
/ˈnoʊpɑːl/noun
A prickly pear cactus, especially one used as food in Mexican Spanish.
Did you know?Spanish nopal comes from Nahuatl nohpalli, the name for the prickly pear cactus, showing how Indigenous plant knowledge survived inside everyday colonial vocabulary.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Nahuatl
Nah
nohpalli
“the prickly pear cactus or its pad”
16th Century
Spanish
nopal
“a prickly pear cactus, borrowed from Nahuatl”
Modern English
Eng
nopal
“a prickly pear cactus, especially in Mexican contexts”
Modern English
Eng
nopalito
“a tender young cactus pad used as food”