List of English Words of Spanish Origin - M

M

macho

from macho, male, brave, the property of being overtly masculine. In Spanish is masculinity

majordomo

via Spanish mayordomo or Italian maggiordomo (both meaning "butller") from Latin maior domus meaning "mayor of the place."

matador

from matador meaning "killer" from matar ("to kill") probably from Arabic مات mata meaning "he died", also possibly cognate with Persian مردن mordan, "to die" as well as English "murder." Another theory is that the word "matador" is derived from a combination of the Vulgar Latin mattāre, from Late Latin mactare (to slaughter, kill) and the Latin -tor (which is cognate with Greek τορ -tōr and Sanskrit तर -tar-.)

mesa

from mesa, table. The corresponding Spanish word to a flat top mountain is meseta

mescal

from Spanish mezcal, from Nahuatl mexcalli

mesquite

from Mexican Spanish mezquite, from Nahuatl mizquitl

mestizo

from mestizo, "racially mixed." in Spanish, refers to a person of mixed European-native American descent

mojito

dim. formed from "mojado" (wet or dripping) probably referring to the mint leaves in the well known Cuban drink

mole

from Spanish, from Nahuatl molle or molli ("sauce")

Montana

from montaña, a mountain

mosquito

from mosquito, literally "little fly"

mulatto

from Spanish or Portuguese mulato meaning "octoroon, sambo". in Spanish, refers to a person of mixed European-African descent. it is not derogatory

mustang

from mestengo or mesteño, "without known master or owner" (archaic)

mustee

from mestizo, "racially mixed."