Gobble Gobble

Uh oh….

Let’s get out of here before we get eaten!

Just the neighborhood turkey family! (back in September or so… today they are on my family’s plates… muah ha ha)

Happy Thanksgiving to all, and to all a good feast!

I thought it would be interesting to research which words we use commonly that have roots in Native languages of the Americas. I knew from one of my classes about Quechua culture that some of the words we use come from this language (It was always easy for me to remember quinoa/quechua because of the qs), and do sound like their origin. However, when doing a little investigating found some words that are a bit more surprising.

So here is your Thanksgiving word nerd treat, before I head to the delicious table!

-Pecan, Persimmon, Squash, Succotash (Algonquian)

-Avocado, Chocolate, Chili (Nahuatl)

-Jerky, Lima, Quinoa (Quechua)

-Cacique (okay, not a food, but one of my favorite spirits when in spain…), Casava, Guava, Potato, Papaya, Casava, Tobacco (not a food, but I guess I’ve made this food and drink) (Arawakan)

-Cashew, Cayenne, Tapioca (Tupi- Guarani)

I decided to focus on the food words since Thanksgiving is kind of a food holiday once we get past all of the thankfulness, but there are so many other words with origins from native cultures of the Americas that I had never connected. I really enjoy word origins and word “relatives” derived from the same parts, and so if you have any related word families related to food or drink please share them!

Have a Happy Holiday!

Tune in tomorrow for some Black Friday cynicism (I can’t be all gushy and thankful for too long)

Meri