guanaco

Where does the word "guanaco" come from? It comes from Quechua wanaku, passing through Spanish before entering English (1590s).

Guanaco’s story begins in Quechua: wanaku meant “a wild, undomesticated llama-like animal.” Named the wild camelid of the Andes. By 1590s, the word had taken hold in Spanish as guanaco. The wild ancestor of the domesticated llama. It reached English by 1590s as guanaco. Borrowed into English through early accounts of South America. Today, guanaco means a wild South American camelid related to the llama, found in the Andes and Patagonia.

1. Stage 1 · Quechua · pre-1500s wanaku "a wild, undomesticated llama-like animal", named the wild camelid of the Andes.
2. Stage 2 · Spanish · 1590s guanaco "a wild South American camelid", the wild ancestor of the domesticated llama.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1590s guanaco "a wild camelid related to the llama, native to South America", borrowed into English through early accounts of South America.