This is a list of Spanish words that come from Germanic languages. It is further divided into words that come from English, Frankish, Langobardic, Middle Dutch, Middle High German, Middle Saxon, Old English, Old High German, Old Norse, Old Swedish, and Visigothic and finally, words which come from Germanic with the specific source 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. Some words contain non-Germanic elements (see béisbol in the Middle English section). Any form with an asterisk (*) is unattested and therefore hypothetical.

List

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A

B

• bigote (from German bei got, "By God")
• bramar
• brecha
• brindis
• brío
• brotar
• buganvill(i)a, bugambilia
• buque
• burgués

C

• cancán
• carpa
• chocar
• choque
• cinc
• club
• cobalto
• comarca
• correa

D

• dalia (from Swedish botanist A. Dahl)
• danés
• dardo
• dique
• dólar

E

• edrédon
• emboscar
• embrogue
• estampar

F

• fornido
• forraje
• forrar
• frambuesa
• francés
• franco (candid)
• franco (money)
• franqueo
• frasco
• fresco
• frotar
• fútbol, futbol

G

• gabardina
• gaita
• gaje
• galán
• galardón
• galope
• ganado
• ganar
• ganso
• garaje
• garantía
• garbo
• gardenia
• garrote
• gavilán
• grabar
• gripe, gripa
• gris
• grosella
• guadaña
• guagua (bus)
• guarida
• guarcanión
• guerra
• gueto
• guiar
• guillotina
• guión
• guirnalda
• guisa
• guisar

H

• hacha
• halar, jalar
• heraldo

I

• inglés

J

• jabón
• jardin

K

L

• lastre
• lata
• lista
• listón
• lote
• lotería
• luna de miel (calque)

M

• maleta
• malta
• maquillaje
• marcar
• march
• marchar
• mariscal
• marqués
• marquesina
• marta
• mascota
• masón
• mástil

N

• nórdico
• normando
• norte

O

• orgullo

P

• palco
• paquete
• placa

Q

R

• rascacielos (calque)
• raspar
• rata
• refutar
• reno
• retaguardia
• rico
• rifa
• rifle
• riqueza
• robar
• robo
• rocín
• ron
• ropa
• rorcual
• rueca
• rufián
• rumba
• ruso

S

• sajón
• saxofón
• sopa
• sud- /sur
• sueco
• suizo

T

• tacha
• tachuela
• taco
• tacón
• talar
• tapa
• tapar
• tapia
• tapón,
• tarjeta
• teta
• teutón
• toalla
• toldo
• tope
• torio
• trampa
• tranvia (calque)
• tregua
• trepar
• trombón
• trompa
• trompeta
• trompo
• trotar
• tungsteno

U

• ufano

V

• vagón
• valquiria
• vals
• vanadio
• varón
• venda

W

• wagneriano

X

Y

• yate
• yelmo
• yodo

Z

• zinc

Dutch

• babor= port side of a ship: from French babord "portside," from Dutch bakboord "left side of a ship," literally "back side of a ship" (from the fact that most ships were steered from the starboard side), from bak "back, behind," (from Germanic (*)bakam) + boord "board, side of a ship," see borde below (in Germanic section). Also see estribor' "starboard" below in the Germanic section
• berbiquí= carpenter's brace: from regional French veberquin (French vilebrequin), from Dutch wimmelken, from wimmel "auger, drill, carpenter's brace" + -ken, a diminutive suffix, see maniquí below in Middle Dutch section.

English

Frankish

• aguantar= to endure, bear, resist: from Italian agguantare "to retain, take hold of" (originally "to detain with gauntlets"), from a- + guanto "gauntlet," from Frankish (*)want (see guante below) + verbal suffix -are (suffix changed to -ar in Spanish).
• alojar= to lodge, to house, to provide hospitality: from Catalan allotjar, from llotja from Old French loge, see lonja below.
• bordar= to embroider: from Frankish (*)bruzdon (source of Old French brouder, brosder and French broder), from Germanic (*)bruzd- "point, needle," from the IE root (*)bhrs-dh-, from (*)bhrs-, from (*)bhar-, "point, nail."
• destacar= to detach troops: from French détachar (influenced by Spanish atacar), from Old French destachier "to unattach," from des- "apart, away" + atachier, a variation of estachier, from estaca, from Frankish stakka, see estaca below in Germanic section.
• destacar= to stand out, to emphasize: from Italian staccare "to separate," from Old French destacher, destachier, see destacar above.
• estandarte= a military standard: from Old French estandart, probably from Frankish (*)standhard "standard that marks a meeting place," (implicit sense: "that which stands firmly"), from (*)standan "to stand", (from Germanic (*)standan, from the IE root (*)sta- "to stand" ^*) + (*)hard "hard, firm," see ardid below in Germanic section.
• guante= glove, gauntlet: from Catalan guant "gauntlet," from Frankish (*)want "gauntlet." ^*
• lonja= market, building where merchants and sellers gather: from regional Catalan llonja (Modern Catalan llotja), from laubja "covering, enclosure," from Germanic (*)laubja "shelter">enclosure (archaeology)">enclosure," from Germanic (*)laubja "shelter" (implicit sense "roof made of bark"), from the IE root (*)leup- "to peel."

Latin words in Spanish of Germanic origin

Langobardic

• palco== a balcony, balcony of a theater: from Italian palco, from Langobardic palko "scaffolding," from Germanic (*)balkōn "beam, crossbeam," see balcón below in Germanic section.

Middle Dutch

• baluarte= bulwark: from Old French boloart "bulwark, rampart, terreplein converted to a boulevard," from Middle Dutch bolwerc "rampart,"
• amarrar= to moor a boat, to tie, to fasten: from French amarrer, "to moor," from Middle Dutch aanmarren "to fasten," from aan "on" (from Germanic (*)ana, (*)anō, from the IE root (*)an-^*) + marren "to fasten, to moor a boat."
• maniquí= a mannequin, dummy, puppet: from French mannequin, from (probably via Catalan maniquí) Dutch manneken, mannekijn "little man," from Middle Dutch mannekijn, from man "a man" (see alemán below in Germanic section) + the diminutive suffix -ken, -kin, -kijn, from West Germanic (*)-kin (cf. Modern German -chen)
• rumbo= direction, course, route, pomp, ostentation: from Old Spanish rumbo "each of the 32 points on a compass," from Middle Dutch rume "space, place, rhumb line, storeroom of a ship," from Germanic rūmaz "space, place," from the IE root (*)reu- "space, to open" ^*.

Middle English

• béisbol= baseball: from Modern English, from base (from Old French base, from Latin basis "base, pedestal," from Ancient Greek βασις basis, from βαινειν bainein "to go, to come," from the IE root + ball from Middle English bal, (from either Old Norse böllr OR Old English (*)beallIE root (*)bhel- "to swell" [http://www.bartleby.com/61/roots/IE51.html" target="_blank" >^*.
• boxear= to box: from Middle English box ^*

Middle High German

Middle Saxon

Old English

• arlequín= harlequin: from Italian arlecchino, from Old French Herlequin "mythic chief of a tribe," probably from Middle English Herle king, from Old English Herla cyning, Herla Kyning literally King Herla, a king of Germanic mythology identified with Odin/Woden. Cyning "king" is from Germanic (*)kunjan "family" (hence, by extension royal family), from the IE root (*)gen- "to birth, regenerate" ^*.
• bote= a small, uncovered boat: from Old French bot, from Middle English bot, boot, from Old English bāt, from Germanic (*)bait-, from the IE root (*)bheid- "to split" ^*.
• este= east: from French est, from Middle English est, from Old English ēast, from Germanic (*)aust-, from the IE root (*)awes-, aus "to shine" ^*.
• norte= north: from Old French nord, from Old English north, from Germanic (*)north-, from the IE root (*)nr-to "north," from (*)nr- "under, to the left" ^*
• oeste= west: from Middle English west, from Old English west, from Germanic (*)west-, from (*)wes-to-, from (*)wes-, from (*)wespero- "evening, dusk" ^*
• sud-= south (combining form): from Old French sud "south," from Old English sūth, from Germanic (*)sunthaz, from the IE root (*)sun-, swen-, varaints of (*)sāwel- "sun" ^*
• sur= south: ultimately from Old English sūth, see sud- above.

Old High German

• banca= bench: see banco= bench below
• banco= bench: from Old High German banc "bench, board"
• banco= bank: from French banque "bank," from Italian banca "bench, money changer's table," from Old High German banc, see banco= bench above
• banqueta= backless bench, stool, sidewalk (Mexico): diminutive of banca, see banca above.

Old Norse

• bistec= steak, beefsteak: from English beefsteak, from beef (ultimately from Latin bōs, bovis "cow," from the IE root (*)gwou- "ox, bull, cow" ^*) + steak, from Middle English steyke, from Old Norse steik "piece of meat cooked on a spit," from Germanic (*)stik-, see estaca below in the Germanic section.

Old Swedish

Visigothic

• agasajar= to flatter: from agasajo (see agasajo below) + the verbal suffix -ar
• agasajo= entertainment, kind reception, friendliness, flattery: from a- + Old Spanish gasajo "reception" from Visigothic gasalja "companion, comrade," from ga- with, together (from the IE root (*)kom ^*) + sal- "room, lodging" (see sala below in the Germanic section).
• guardia= guard, bodyguard, protection: from Visiothic wardja "a guard," from Germanic wardaz, from the IE root (*)wor-to-, see guardar below in Germanic section.
• guardián= guardian: from Visgothic wardjan accusative of wardja, see guardia above.
• atacar= to attack: Old Italian attaccare "to fasten, join, unite, attack (implicit sense: to join in a battle)," changed from (*)estacar (by influence of a-, common verbal prefix) "to fasten, join," from Visigothic stakka "a stick, stake," from Germanic (*)stak-, see estaca in Germanic section.

Germanic

• abanderado= standard-bearer, also standard-bearing (adjective): from a- + bandera, (see bandera below) + -ado, from Latin -atus, noun suffix derived the adjective suffix -atus.
• abandonar= to abandon: from Old French a bandon, from a + bandon "control" from ban "proclamation, jurisdiction, power," from Germanic (*)banwan, (*)bannan "to proclaim, speak publicly" ^**
• abordar= to board a ship, to approach, to undertake: from a- + bordo "side of a ship," variation of borde, see borde below
• abotonar: to button: from a- + botón "button," see botón below
• abrasar= to burn, to parch: from a- + brasa "a coal, ember" (see brasa below) + the verbal suffix -ar
• aguardar= to wait, wait for: from a- + guardar, see guardar below.
• alemán= of Germany (adjective), the German language: from Late Latin Alemanni, an ancient Germanic tribe, from Germanic (*)alamanniz (represented in Gothic alamans), from ala- "all" + mannis, plural of manna-/mannaz "man" (Gothic manna) from the IE root (*)man- "man" ^*
• ardid= trick, scheme, ruse: from Old Spanish ardid "risky undertaking in war," from Catalan ardit (noun) "risky undertaking, strategy," from ardit (adjective) "daring, bold," from a Germanic source represented in Old High German harti "daring, bold" and hart "hard," both from the IE root (*)kor-tu- ^*.
• arenque= herring: possibly via French hareng, from Germanic (compare Old High German hārinc).
• arpa= a harp: from French: harpe, from Germanic (*)harpōn-.
• arrimar= to approach: possibly from Old French arrimer, arimer "to arrange the cargo in the storeroom of a ship," from Germanic (*)rūmaz "room"
• atrapar= to trap, to ensnare: from French attraper, from Old French a- + trape "trap," from Germanic (*)trep- (seen in the Old English træppe) from the IE root (*)dreb-, from (*)der- "to run."
• bala= a bullet: Italian balla/palla, from Germanic (*)ball-, see béisbol above in Old English section.
• balcón== a balcony: from Italian balcone, from Old Italian balcone "scaffold," from Germanic (*)balkōn "beam, crossbeam," from the IE root (*)bhelg- "beam, board, plank."
• balón= a large ball: from Italian ballone, pallone, balla (see bala above) + -one, an augmentive suffix, related to and possibly the source of Spanish -ón (in balón). see here.
• banda= ribbon, band, sash: from Old French bande "knot, fastening," from Germanic '*band-', from the IE root (*)bhondh-, from (*)bhendh-^*
• banda= group, troop, musical group: from Germanic '*bandwa-', "standard, signal," also "group" (from the use of a military standard by some groups]]), from the IE root (*)bha- "to shine" (implicit sense "signal that shines").
• bandera= banner: from Vulgar Latin (*)bandaria "banner," from Late Latin bandum "standard," from Germanic (*)bandwa, see banda= group below
• bandido= bandit, gangster: from Italian bandito "bandit," from bandire "to band together," from Germanic '*banwan, see abandonar' above
• banquete= a banquet: rom Old French banquet, diminutive of banc "bench, long seat," of Germanic origin, of the same family as the Old High German banc, see banco= bench above in Old High German section.
• bisonte== Bison bison: from Latin bisontem (accusative of bison) "wisent (Bison bonasus)," from Germanic (*)wisand-, wisunt- (Old High German wisant, wisunt).
• blanco= white, white person, blank: from Vulgar Latin (*)blancus, from Germanic (*)blank- "to shine," from the IE root^*.
• bloque= a block, a bloc: from French bloc, from Middle Dutch blok "trunk of a tree," from a Germanic source represented in the Old High German bloh.
• bohemio= a bohemian, of Bohemia, vagabond, eccentric, Gitano, Gypsy: from bohemio/Bohemia (from the belief that the Gitanos came from Bohemia), from Latin bohemus, from Boihaemum, literally "place of the Boi/Boii (from Celtic, see bohemio here) + Latin -haemum "home," from Germanic (*)haima "home," from the IE root (*)koi-mo-, from (*)koi-, variant of (*)kei- "bed, couch; beloved, dear" ^*.
• borde= border, edge: from Old French bord "side of a ship, border, edge," from Frankish (*)bord "table," from Germanic (*)burd-.
• bosque= forest, woods: from Catalan of Provençal of Old French bosc, from Germanic (*)busk- "brush, underbrush, thicket" (source of Old High German busc).
• bosquejo= a sketch, outline, rough draft: from Spanish bosquejar "to sketch, to outline," probably from Catalan bosquejar from bosc, see bosque above.
• bota= a boot: from or simply from the same source as French botte "boot," from Old French bote "boot," probably from the same source as Modern French pied bot "deformed foot" in which bot is from Germanic (*)būtaz, from the IE root (*)bhau- "to strike," see botar below.
• botar= to throw, to bounce, to jump: from Old French boter, bouter "to open, to hit, to strike, to perforate," from Romance bottare "to strike, to push, to shove," from Germanic (*) buttan "to hit, to strike" from the IE root (*)bhau- ^*
• bote+ a bounce: see botar above
• botón= button: from Old French boton, bouton "button," from boter, bouter "to open, perforate," see botar above
• boya= a buoy: probably from Old French boie, from Germanic, possibly from Old High German bouhhan, from Germanic (*)baukna- "signal," from the IE root (*)bha- "to shine" ^*
• brasa= a coal, ember: from Old French brese "a coal" (Modern French braise), probably from Germanic (*)bres-, (*)bhres-, from the IE root (*)bhreu- ^*
• dibujar= to draw, represent with lines: older Spanish meanings include "to represent, to paint, to sculpt, to do wood carving," probably from Old French deboissier "to sculpt in wood," from de- + bois "wood," from Germanic (*)busk-, see bosque above.
• estaca= a stake: from Germanic (*)stak-, from the IE root (*)steg- "pale, post pointed stick" ^*.
• estribor= starboard side of a ship: from Old French estribord "starboard," (Modern French tribord), from a Germanic source (confer Old English stēorbord). From Germanic (*)stiurjō "to steer," + Germanic (*)burd-, see borde' above
• grupo= group: rom Italian gruppo, from a Germanic word represented by Old High German kropf "beak."
• guardar= to guard, watch over, keep, observe (a custom): from Germanic (*)wardōn "to look after, take care of," from the IE root (*)wor-to-, "to watch," from (*)wor-, (*)wer- "to see, watch, perceive" ^*
• oboe= an oboe: from French hautbois from haut (ultimately from Latin altus "high") + bois "wood," see bosque above.
• sala= a room: from Germanic sal- "room, house," from the IE root (*)sol- "hamlet, human settlement."
• salón= main room of a house (see sala above) + -on, augmentive suffix.
• trampa= a trap: possibly from Germanic, from the same derivation as trampolín (see below) and atrapar (see above).
• trampolín= a trampoline: from Italian trampolino "trampoline" (implicit sense: game of agility on stilts), from trampoli, plural of a Germanic word (*)tramp- (such as German trampeln and Old High German trampen, both meaning "to tread, trample"), from the IE root (*)dreb-, from (*)der- "to run."
• vanguardia= vanguard: from Old Spanish avanguardia, from Catalan avantguarda from avant "before, advance," (from Latin ab- + ante "before") + guarda "guard," from Germanic wardaz, see guardia above in Visigothic section.

See also

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• Linguistic history of Spanish
• List of Spanish words of Arabic origin
• List of English words of Spanish origin

References

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• "Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua española" by Guido Gómez de Silva (ISBN 968-16-2812-8)
• "The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language": Fourth Edition. 2000. ^*

Spanish etymology | Etymology | Spanish language