annatto

Where does the word "annatto" come from? It comes from Cariban onoto, passing through Spanish before entering English (1670s).

Annatto’s story begins in Cariban: onoto meant “a red dye-producing seed.” Named the red dye extracted from the seeds of a tropical shrub. By 1600s, the word had taken hold in Spanish as annatto. The red seed dye was used by Caribbean peoples as body paint and later colours cheeses like Red Leicester. It reached English by 1670s as annatto. Borrowed into English through colonial trade accounts. Today, annatto means a natural orange-red dye and seasoning derived from the seeds of the annatto shrub, used in cheeses and traditional cooking.

1. Stage 1 · Cariban · pre-1500s onoto "a red dye-producing seed", named the red dye extracted from the seeds of a tropical shrub.
2. Stage 2 · Spanish · 1600s annatto "a red dye made from tropical shrub seeds", the red seed dye was used by Caribbean peoples as body paint and later colours cheeses like Red Leicester.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1670s annatto "a natural orange-red food coloring and seasoning", borrowed into English through colonial trade accounts.