Texas
/ˈtɛk.səs/noun
A state in the southern United States.
Did you know?The name Texas comes through Spanish from Caddo-related forms like taysha, meaning “friend” or “ally,” which is why the state motto became “Friendship.”
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian
Caddo
táyshaʔ
“friend; ally”
16th-17th Century
Spanish
tejas / texas
“Spanish spellings used for Indigenous place names and peoples in the region”
17th Century
Spanish
Tejas
“Name applied by Spanish to the Indigenous Caddo people and their lands”
18th-19th Century
English
Texas
“Anglicized form of the regional name”
Modern English
English
Texas
“The U.S. state name”