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Molcajete

3 stages from Nahuatl to English.

Today it means a traditional stone mortar and pestle used in Mexican cooking to grind spices and prepare salsa

Where does the word "molcajete" come from? It comes from Nahuatl molcaxitl, passing through Spanish before entering English (1900s-1910s).

molcaxitl→molcajete→molcajete

Nahuatl · pre-1500s

"a sauce bowl, mortar"

combined 'molli' (sauce) and 'caxitl' (bowl), naming the stone mortar used to grind ingredients

Spanish · 1600s

"a stone mortar used to grind spices and make salsa"

adopted into Mexican Spanish for the traditional stone mortar and pestle

English · 1900s-1910s

"a traditional stone mortar and pestle used in Mexican cooking"

borrowed into English through Mexican culinary tradition

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