Etymology
The exact origin of che is unclear, and possibly derived from several indigenous South American languages:
- In Guaraní che means simply "I" or "my".
- In Tehuelche and Puelche che means "man".
- In Mapudungun che means "people".
Other linguists theorize that the word che is derived from the archaic Spanish word ce, used to call someone's attention. Another theory connects it with the Italian greeting "ciao", or word "cioe", meaning "that is". Che could also be a shortened version of the word "escuche" meaning "listen" and used to capture attention.
Read more about this topic: Che (Spanish)
Famous quotes containing the word etymology:
“The universal principle of etymology in all languages: words are carried over from bodies and from the properties of bodies to express the things of the mind and spirit. The order of ideas must follow the order of things.”
—Giambattista Vico (1688–1744)
“Semantically, taste is rich and confusing, its etymology as odd and interesting as that of “style.” But while style—deriving from the stylus or pointed rod which Roman scribes used to make marks on wax tablets—suggests activity, taste is more passive.... Etymologically, the word we use derives from the Old French, meaning touch or feel, a sense that is preserved in the current Italian word for a keyboard, tastiera.”
—Stephen Bayley, British historian, art critic. “Taste: The Story of an Idea,” Taste: The Secret Meaning of Things, Random House (1991)