nopal

Where does the word "nopal" come from? It comes from Nahuatl nohpalli, passing through Spanish before entering English (1690s).

Nopal’s story begins in Nahuatl: nohpalli meant “prickly pear cactus.” Named the prickly pear cactus itself. By 1600s, the word had taken hold in Spanish as nopal. Shortened and adopted into Mexican Spanish. It reached English by 1690s as nopal. Borrowed into English by explorers and botanists describing New World plants. Today, nopal means the edible flat pad of the prickly pear cactus, popular in Mexican cuisine.

1. Stage 1 · Nahuatl · pre-1500s nohpalli "prickly pear cactus", named the prickly pear cactus itself.
2. Stage 2 · Spanish · 1600s nopal "prickly pear cactus, especially its edible pads", shortened and adopted into Mexican Spanish.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1690s nopal "the edible pad of the prickly pear cactus", borrowed into English by explorers and botanists describing New World plants.