pinole

Where does the word "pinole" come from? It comes from Nahuatl pinolli, passing through Spanish before entering English (1800s).

Pinole’s story begins in Nahuatl: pinolli meant “ground roasted maize or chia flour.” Named a flour made from roasted, ground maize and chia seeds. By 1600s, the word had taken hold in Spanish as pinole. The Rarámuri runners of Mexico carry pinole as fuel. It reached English by 1800s as pinole. Borrowed into English through Mexican and Southwestern U.S. foodways. Today, pinole means a sweetened, toasted maize flour, traditionally mixed with water as a drink or eaten as a snack.

1. Stage 1 · Nahuatl · pre-1500s pinolli "ground roasted maize or chia flour", named a flour made from roasted, ground maize and chia seeds.
2. Stage 2 · Spanish · 1600s pinole "a toasted, ground maize or seed flour", the Rarámuri runners of Mexico carry pinole as fuel.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1800s pinole "a sweetened, toasted maize flour used as a drink or snack", borrowed into English through Mexican and Southwestern U.S. foodways.