Etymology Map
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Cockroach

3 stages from Spanish to English.

Today it means a beetle-like insect that is a household pest

Where does the word "cockroach" come from? It comes from Spanish cucaracha, passing through English before entering English (1600s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
cucaracha
Spanish · 1500s
"cockroach"
perhaps from 'cuca', a kind of caterpillar
2
Stage 2 of 3
cacarootch
English · 1620s
"cockroach"
Captain John Smith wrote in 1624 of 'a certaine India Bug, called by the Spaniards a Cacarootch'
3
Stage 3 of 3
cockroach
English · 1600s
"household pest"
folk etymology reshaped the strange word into two familiar ones, 'cock' and 'roach'
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Read the full story

Cockroach’s story begins in Spanish: cucaracha meant “cockroach.” Perhaps from 'cuca', a kind of caterpillar. By 1620s, the word had taken hold in English as cacarootch. Captain John Smith wrote in 1624 of 'a certaine India Bug, called by the Spaniards a Cacarootch'. It reached English by 1600s as cockroach. Folk etymology reshaped the strange word into two familiar ones, 'cock' and 'roach'. Today, cockroach means a beetle-like insect that is a household pest.