machete

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

Machete’s story begins in Spanish: macho meant “sledgehammer.” A sledgehammer, from Latin 'marculus', small hammer. Within Spanish, it grew into machete by 1500s. 'little hammer', the cane-cutter's blade of the Spanish Caribbean sugar plantations. It reached English by 1590s as machete. Used in accounts of Spanish America. Today, machete means a broad heavy knife used as a tool and weapon.

1. Stage 1 · Spanish · medieval macho "sledgehammer", a sledgehammer, from Latin 'marculus', small hammer.
2. Stage 2 · Spanish · 1500s machete "cutting blade", 'little hammer', the cane-cutter's blade of the Spanish Caribbean sugar plantations.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1590s machete "large cutting knife", used in accounts of Spanish America.