copal

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

Copal’s story begins in Nahuatl: copalli meant “resin, incense.” Named for the aromatic tree resin burned as incense. By 1570s, the word had taken hold in Spanish as copal. The Maya and Aztecs burned copal as incense in temples. It reached English by 1570s-1600s as copal. The OED's earliest English evidence is a 1577 translation by the merchant John Frampton. Today, copal means a hard, pale resin from tropical trees used in varnishes and incense.

1. Stage 1 · Nahuatl · pre-1500s copalli "resin, incense", named for the aromatic tree resin burned as incense.
2. Stage 2 · Spanish · 1570s copal "tree resin used as incense/varnish base", the Maya and Aztecs burned copal as incense in temples.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1570s-1600s copal "a hard aromatic resin used in varnish", the OED's earliest English evidence is a 1577 translation by the merchant John Frampton.