metate

Where does the word "metate" come from? It comes from Nahuatl metlatl, passing through Spanish before entering English (1840s).

Metate’s story begins in Nahuatl: metlatl meant “a stone grinding slab.” Named the flat grinding stone used with a hand stone to grind maize. By 1600s, the word had taken hold in Spanish as metate. A grinding stone still used for making masa and chocolate in Mexico. It reached English by 1840s as metate. Borrowed into English by travelers and archaeologists in the American Southwest. Today, metate means a flat stone tool used with a hand-held grinding stone (mano) to process maize and other grains.

1. Stage 1 · Nahuatl · pre-1500s metlatl "a stone grinding slab", named the flat grinding stone used with a hand stone to grind maize.
2. Stage 2 · Spanish · 1600s metate "a stone for grinding maize and other grains", a grinding stone still used for making masa and chocolate in Mexico.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1840s metate "a flat stone used with a mano to grind grain", borrowed into English by travelers and archaeologists in the American Southwest.