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Where does the word "vamoose" come from? It comes from Latin vādāmus, passing through Spanish before entering English (1830s).
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Where does the word "vamoose" come from? It comes from Latin vādāmus, passing through Spanish before entering English (1830s).
Vamoose’s story begins in Latin: vādāmus meant “let us go.” 'let us go', from 'vādere', to go. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Spanish as vamos. 'let's go'. It reached English by 1830s as vamoose. Picked up by Americans in Texas and the Southwest. Today, vamoose means to leave hurriedly.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient vādāmus "let us go", 'let us go', from 'vādere', to go.
- Stage 2 · Spanish · medieval vamos "let's go", 'let's go'.
- Stage 3 · American English · 1830s vamoose "to leave quickly", picked up by Americans in Texas and the Southwest.