Quipu
/ˈkiːpuː/noun
An Andean system of knotted cords used for record-keeping and communication, especially by the Inca.
Did you know?Quipu comes from Quechua, and Spanish chroniclers described it as a real administrative technology of the Inca Empire, with some scholars still debating how much information its knots could encode.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian Andes
Quechua
khipu
“A system of knotted cords used for counting and recording information”
16th Century
Spanish
quipo / quipu
“Spanish transcription of the Quechua term for knotted record cords”
19th Century
English
quipu
“A term adopted into English for the Andean knotted-record system”
Modern English
English
quipu
“An Andean cord-and-knot record-keeping device”