soroche

Where does the word "soroche" come from? It comes from Quechua suruqch'i, passing through Spanish before entering English (1830s).

Soroche’s story begins in Quechua: suruqch'i meant “antimony; altitude sickness.” Originally referred to antimony ore, later associated with the sickness blamed on its vapors. By 1600s-1700s, the word had taken hold in Spanish as soroche. Spanish colonists at Potosí, over 4,000 metres high, suffered from it. It reached English by 1830s as soroche. Borrowed into English through accounts of travel and mining in the Andes. Today, soroche means altitude sickness, a condition caused by exposure to low oxygen levels at high elevation.

1. Stage 1 · Quechua · pre-1500s suruqch'i "antimony; altitude sickness", originally referred to antimony ore, later associated with the sickness blamed on its vapors.
2. Stage 2 · Spanish · 1600s-1700s soroche "altitude sickness", Spanish colonists at Potosí, over 4,000 metres high, suffered from it.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1830s soroche "altitude sickness experienced in high mountain regions", borrowed into English through accounts of travel and mining in the Andes.