10 English Words with Surprising Native American Roots

English has borrowed numerous words from Indigenous American languages, including Quechua, Nahuatl, Mayan, and Taíno. Examples include guano (from Quechua huanu), jerky (from Quechua ch'arki), poncho (from Quechua punchu or Araucanian pontho), chili (from Nahuatl chili), chocolate (from Nahuatl xocolatl), shack (possibly from Nahuatl xacalli), hurricane (from Mayan K'iche' Hunraqan), cigar (from Mayan sicar), barbecue (from Taíno barbakoa), and potato (from Taíno batata). These words entered English via Spanish colonizers who adopted them from indigenous peoples. Quechua, spoken by over seven million people, was the official language of the Inca Empire and remains official in Peru and Bolivia. Nahuatl, still spoken by over a million in central Mexico, was the language of the Aztec Empire. Mayan languages, including K'iche', Yucatec, and Mam, are still spoken in southern Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. The Taíno language of the Caribbean was nearly extinguished within decades of Columbus's arrival, but its words persist. The article highlights the linguistic legacy of pre-Columbian civilizations and the ongoing survival of indigenous languages despite centuries of colonization.