lariat

Where does the word "lariat" come from? It comes from Spanish reatar, passing through Mexican Spanish before entering English (1830s).

Lariat’s story begins in Spanish: reatar meant “to retie.” To tie again, from Latin 're-' and 'aptāre', to fit. By 1700s, the word had taken hold in Mexican Spanish as la reata. 'the rope', the vaquero's rope for catching cattle. It reached English by 1830s as lariat. 'la reata' was run together into one word. Today, lariat means a rope used as a lasso or for tethering.

1. Stage 1 · Spanish · medieval reatar "to retie", to tie again, from Latin 're-' and 'aptāre', to fit.
2. Stage 2 · Mexican Spanish · 1700s la reata "the rope", 'the rope', the vaquero's rope for catching cattle.
3. Stage 3 · American English · 1830s lariat "lasso", 'la reata' was run together into one word.