pueblo

Where does the word "pueblo" come from? It comes from Latin populus, passing through Spanish before entering English (1800s).

Pueblo’s story begins in Latin: populus meant “a people, a population.” The root of 'people', 'popular' and 'public'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Spanish as pueblo. Settled in Spanish for a town or village and its people. It reached English by 1800s as pueblo. Spanish 'town', used for the adobe villages of the Hopi, Zuni and other Pueblo peoples. Today, pueblo means a small town or village, especially a traditional settlement of the American southwest.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient populus "a people, a population", the root of 'people', 'popular' and 'public'.
2. Stage 2 · Spanish · medieval pueblo "a town, a village, or its people", settled in Spanish for a town or village and its people.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1800s pueblo "a village, especially of the American southwest", Spanish 'town', used for the adobe villages of the Hopi, Zuni and other Pueblo peoples.