tobacco

Where does the word "tobacco" come from? It comes from Taíno tabaco, passing through Spanish before entering English (1500s).

Tobacco’s story begins in Taíno: tabaco meant “a smoking pipe or leaf roll.” Possibly referring to a pipe or roll of leaves used for smoking. By 1500s, the word had taken hold in Spanish as tabaco. Adopted for the plant itself after contact with the Caribbean. It reached English by 1500s as tobacco. Spread through European trade and colonization. Today, tobacco means the dried, cured leaves of a plant smoked or chewed for their nicotine content.

1. Stage 1 · Taíno · pre-1500s tabaco "a smoking pipe or leaf roll", possibly referring to a pipe or roll of leaves used for smoking.
2. Stage 2 · Spanish · 1500s tabaco "the tobacco plant", adopted for the plant itself after contact with the Caribbean.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1500s tobacco "the cured leaf smoked or chewed", spread through European trade and colonization.