arroyo

Where does the word "arroyo" come from? It comes from Latin arrugia, passing through Spanish before entering English (1800s).

Arroyo’s story begins in Latin: arrugia meant “mine gallery.” Pliny the Elder used it for mine galleries in Roman Spain. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Spanish as arroyo. A stream or gully. It reached English by 1800s as arroyo. Used for the dry creek beds of the Southwest. Today, arroyo means a steep-sided gully cut by running water in an arid region.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient arrugia "mine gallery", Pliny the Elder used it for mine galleries in Roman Spain.
2. Stage 2 · Spanish · medieval arroyo "stream", a stream or gully.
3. Stage 3 · American English · 1800s arroyo "dry gully", used for the dry creek beds of the Southwest.