puna

Where does the word "puna" come from? It comes from Quechua puna, passing through Spanish before entering English (1600s).

Puna’s story begins in Quechua: puna meant “a high, cold plateau.” Named the high, cold, treeless plateau of the Andes. By 1550s, the word had taken hold in Spanish as puna. Quechua for high cold plateau; 'soroche', altitude sickness, is also called puna. It reached English by 1600s as puna. Borrowed into English geographical writing about South America. Today, puna means a high, cold, arid plateau region of the central Andes.

1. Stage 1 · Quechua · pre-1500s puna "a high, cold plateau", named the high, cold, treeless plateau of the Andes.
2. Stage 2 · Spanish · 1550s puna "a high Andean plateau; also, altitude sickness", Quechua for high cold plateau; 'soroche', altitude sickness, is also called puna.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1600s puna "a high, cold, arid plateau, especially in the Andes", borrowed into English geographical writing about South America.