Some Words and Names Borrowed From Arawakan
Arawak | Translation |
---|---|
ají | chili/hot pepper |
Anacaona | Golden Flower |
arepa | corn cake |
bara | whip |
barbacoa | barbecue (barbacoa and "barbecue" are cognates). It was a four-legged stand made of sticks, used by the Taínos for roasting meat. |
batata | sweet potato |
bohío | small square house (typical countryside homes) |
cacata | tarantula |
cana | any number of palmetto trees (a type of palmetto are the palms that line the Malecón of Santo Domingo) |
ceiba | Silkcotton tree |
canoa | small boat, canoe (canoe is a cognate of canoa) |
Cibao | Stoned Mountains |
cocuyo or cucuyo | small lightning bug with a blueish light |
cohiba | tobacco/tobacco leaves |
guayo | grater |
jaiba | river crab or freshwater crayfish (*This is of Spanish origin. Possibly from Basque.) |
jicotea | turtle |
maraca | gourd rattle, musical instrument made of higuera gourd |
maco | toad; in sports it can also mean someone who doesn't throw a ball accurately |
mime | little insect, typically a fruit fly |
nana or nena | little girl |
sabana or zabana | savanna (a cognate of sabana); a flat grassland of tropical or subtropical regions |
tabacu or tabaco | tobacco |
yagua | a small palm native to Hispaniola |
Read more about this topic: Dominican Spanish
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