cayman

Where does the word "cayman" come from? It comes from Cariban kaiman, passing through Spanish before entering English (1570s-1600s).

Cayman’s story begins in Cariban: kaiman meant “a large crocodilian reptile.” Named the large reptile found in Caribbean and South American waters. By 1570s, the word had taken hold in Spanish as caimán. The Cayman Islands were named for the crocodiles Spanish sailors saw there. It reached English by 1570s-1600s as cayman. First recorded in 1577 in a translation by the merchant John Frampton, who turned Spanish reports of the New World into English. Today, cayman means a crocodilian reptile closely related to the alligator, native to Central and South America.

1. Stage 1 · Cariban · pre-1500s kaiman "a large crocodilian reptile", named the large reptile found in Caribbean and South American waters.
2. Stage 2 · Spanish · 1570s caimán "a crocodile-like reptile of the Americas", the Cayman Islands were named for the crocodiles Spanish sailors saw there.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1570s-1600s cayman "a crocodilian reptile related to the alligator", first recorded in 1577 in a translation by the merchant John Frampton, who turned Spanish reports of the New World into English.