Spanish
/ˈspæn.ɪʃ/noun
Relating to Spain, its people, or the Spanish language.
Did you know?The English word ultimately comes from Latin Hispania, and one famous theory says that name may have been influenced by Phoenician words for a place rich in rabbits or hyrax-like creatures, showing how ancient observers literally named lands by what they saw.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*speh-
“to observe, look, or spy”
Latin
Latin
Hispania
“The Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula, later Spain”
Late Latin
Latin
Hispanius
“Relating to Spain or the Spanish people”
Old French
Old French
espagneis
“Spanish; from Spain”
Middle English
English
spanyssh
“Spanish”
Modern English
English
Spanish
“Relating to Spain, its people, or its language”