There’s no better time to talk about today’s word than Halloween. The Spanish word muerte (death) comes from the Latin mors, mortis, which also means death. This root is shared by many other languages in the Romance family, including Italian (morte), French (mort), and Portuguese (morte). The transformation from mortis to muerte is part of …
If there’s a word that comes to mind when thinking about Halloween, it is disfraz. This word comes from the late Latin term disfrazare, a compound of the prefix dis- (which denotes a negation or separation) and fraceare, from fraces meaning rags or clothing. Essentially, the idea of disfraz was to alter or hide one’s appearance, …
With autumn approaching, we all begin to think about Halloween and its traditions, and it’s no surprise that brujas are among the most popular costumes and decorations. For centuries, the word bruja has been used in Spanish-speaking cultures to describe women believed to have magical powers, whether for healing or causing harm. The term has …
As a child, I was never allowed to put my bag on the floor or open an umbrella inside the house, and I never questioned it before. That got me thinking about all the agüeros in the Hispanic culture and I would like to share them with you today. The word agüero traces its origins …
One of the most misunderstood marine animals is the shark, known as tiburón in Spanish. These powerful predators are among the most fascinating creatures in the ocean. Despite their fearsome appearance, they rarely pose a threat to humans. The word tiburón comes from the Latin word tiberīnus, which derives from the Tiber River in Rome, …
The Spanish word silencio comes from the Latin word silentium, which means silence or stillness. The Latin root silens in turn comes from the verb silere, which means to be silent. It evolved into the Spanish word silencio and has retained the same meaning throughout its usage in Spanish-speaking cultures. Latin American Pronunciation European Pronunciation …