shack

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

Shack’s story begins in Nahuatl: xacalli meant “a wooden hut.” By 1600s-1700s, the word had taken hold in Mexican Spanish as jacal. Nahuatl 'xacalli', adobe hut. It reached English by 1800s as shack. 'shack up' meaning to live together dates from the 1930s. Today, shack means a small, roughly built hut or cabin.

1. Stage 1 · Nahuatl · pre-1500s xacalli "a wooden hut", meaning "a wooden hut".
2. Stage 2 · Mexican Spanish · 1600s-1700s jacal "a simple wooden hut", Nahuatl 'xacalli', adobe hut.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1800s shack "a small, roughly built hut", 'shack up' meaning to live together dates from the 1930s.