The origins of terms and their development through history.
6
votes
2answers
727 views
Origin of the mexican expression “güey/buey”
The common Mexican informal expression "güey/buey" (written as "wey" in text).
Where did it come from?
Since when did it become a common expression?
Examples:
A que güey estás. (You are so ...
4
votes
3answers
215 views
Etymological origin of “false friends” between Spanish and English
Is there an etymological origin that can be called the main one that has created the list of "false friends" between Spanish and English?
I'm constantly stumbling upon a new "false friend" when ...
4
votes
1answer
87 views
What is the origin of the word “tascalate”?
Another unusual Spanish word I collected in my travels is tascalate.
It's a drink in Chiapas, Mexico and there are Wikipedia articles about it in English and in Spanish.
But it's not in Wiktionary ...
5
votes
3answers
1k views
The letter “k” in Spanish
The letter "k" is rarely seen in Spanish. What is the origin of Spanish words containing a k? Are most recent loanwords from modern languages, influences from older languages (Latin or Greek), or of ...
12
votes
1answer
89 views
Is “al” a relatively new word?
I am curious about the history of the word "al". For example, was there a time when "a el" was the proper usage and "al" came later (presumably because of the slurring of speech)?
15
votes
1answer
449 views
¿Por qué es la palabra «mano» femenina?
En español, tenemos una regla en la cual, generalmente, se puede tener fé. Si una palabra termina con -o, es masculina. Sin embargo, palabras que terminan en -e o -a también pueden ser palabras ...
7
votes
1answer
260 views
What is the correct order of object pronouns?
I know that there are (at least) three types of personal pronouns in Spanish (well, and English): direct, indirect, and reflexive. In cases where all three (or at least two) are present, what is the ...
5
votes
1answer
156 views
Etymology of “usted”
What is the etymology of the pronoun "usted"? What formal pronouns existed before, and when did the current "usted" come into existence?
11
votes
2answers
169 views
Origin of contigo and similar “contractions”
What's the history of the words contigo, conmigo, etc?
They're treated like contractions for con ti and con mi, respectively, but they actually make the word longer rather than shorter, as ...
