List of Spanish words of Semitic origin

This is a list of Spanish words that come from Semitic languages (excluding Arabic, which can be found in the article, Arabic language influence on the Spanish language). It is further divided into words that come from Akkadian, Aramaic, Hebrew, and finally, words that come from Semitic when the exact source language is unknown. Some of these words existed in Latin as loanwords from other languages. Some of these words have alternate etymologies and may also appear on a list of Spanish words from a different language.

List

A
  • ábaco ( abacus ) - from Phoenician 'abaq' ( dust )
  • ama (de casa) ( housewife )-from Biblical Hebrew: אָמָה
  • amén de ( amen ) from Hebrew or Aramaic

B
  • babel ( confusion, bedlam ) - from Hebrew word for Babylon ( referring to Biblical story of Babylon tower )
  • barrabás
  • beca ( scholarship, grant )
  • benjamín
  • bruja ( witch ) - possible preRoman origin via Portuguese and Galician bruxa or Catalan bruixa

from the Hebrew for: בְּרוּכָה blessed (the feminine adjective version of a woman with special skills, talents &/or powers-such as "a witch" has always been considered (out of fear & ignorance, of course) to be.

C
  • cábala ( guess, conjecture ) - from Hebrew Kaballah ( book of Jewish mysticism & the infinitive verb: -le'qabel=לְקָבֵּל-to receive-in case of the mysticism school of quabalah-in reference to receiving wisdom through spiritual knowledge)
  • camello ( camel ) - from Hebrew or Phoenician 'gamal'
  • camita
  • carmelita
  • chevere ( fantastic, great, awesome ) - from Nigerian Efik
  • chingon [Argo] ( badass, whiz, hotshot )-from the Hebrew: שִׁיגָעוֹן-shi'ga'on=craziness; madness; lunacy
  • comino ( cumin ) - from Hebrew כָּמוּן-'kammoon'
  • coralo ( choral, coral ) from uninditified Semitic language via Greek 'korallion'

D
  • Don (del origen Canaanita/Hebreo: Adon=Senor el mismo origen del nombre de dios de la belleza, Adonis, en la mitología Griega )

E
  • edén,

G
  • gachupín ( Spaniard ) - from common Cantabrian surname
  • gasa ( gauze )
  • gueto ( ghetto ) - from Hebrew or Yiddish

H
  • hebreo [Heb.]
  • Hace (verbo: hacer) [Heb.]

Hilipollas

I
  • israelí [Heb.]
  • israelita [Heb.]

J
  • jaspe the semi-precious stone Jasper [ישפה/yashfeh/-Heb.; يشب/yash'b-Arab.]
  • judío [יהודי/Yehudi-Heb.]

L
  • lazareto [Heb.]
  • león ( lion ) - from Hebrew 'lavi' via Greek 'leon'

M
  • maná [man/מן-Heb.]
  • mariquíta
  • mata ( bush, shrub )
  • matorral
  • medída [medidah/מדידה-Heb.]
  • mesías [mashi'ach/משיח-Heb.]
  • mirra [mor/מור-Heb.]

P
  • paloma [pelumah/פלומה-Heb.]
  • pascua [pesach/פסח-Heb.]
  • pija [one colloquial term for a male's penis]=from Hebrew: שְׁפִיכָה="spill" (ejaculation)
  • púrpura

R
  • rabí [Heb.]
  • rabino [Heb.]

S
  • sábado - from Hebrew 'shabbat' ( Friday-Saturday )
  • sábana ( savanna )
  • saco ( sack )
  • salmo ( psalm )[Heb.]
  • saquear
  • Satanás
  • sefardita [Heb.]
  • seguro-from the Hebrew: סָגוּר=closed (past tense verb & masculine passive voice adjective )
  • semita
  • sémola ( semolina )
  • sidra
  • simonía
  • sultán-from Aramaic shultana "power," from shelet "have power (or, the Hebrew: shelet-שֶׁלֶט-which is a posted, publicly displayed sign for all to know &)-see the Hebrew word: שָׁלְטָן-shaltan-ruler/authority

T
  • tacaño
  • truchimán, dragomán
  • túnica

Y
  • yanqui
  • yeso

Hebrew

See also

References
  • "Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua española" by Guido Gómez de Silva (ISBN 968-16-2812-8)
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