chayote

Where does the word "chayote" come from? It comes from Nahuatl chayotli, passing through Spanish before entering English (1880s).

Chayote’s story begins in Nahuatl: chayotli meant “a spiny edible squash.” Named for the pear-shaped edible gourd. By 1600s, the word had taken hold in Spanish as chayote. Spanish colonists adopted the Nahuatl name for the vegetable. It reached English by 1880s as chayote. Borrowed into English as the vegetable spread through Latin American cuisine. Today, chayote means a pale green, pear-shaped edible squash used in Latin American and Caribbean cooking.

1. Stage 1 · Nahuatl · pre-1500s chayotli "a spiny edible squash", named for the pear-shaped edible gourd.
2. Stage 2 · Spanish · 1600s chayote "a green, pear-shaped squash", Spanish colonists adopted the Nahuatl name for the vegetable.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1880s chayote "a mild-flavored edible gourd of the squash family", borrowed into English as the vegetable spread through Latin American cuisine.