The only free and comprehensive online etymological dictionary of the Spanish language

Word of the Day

pulsar (Verb) "to push (a button);" "to throb"
16th cent. From Latin pulsare "to push," "to urge," a frequentive from pellere "to push," "to strike." From Proto-Italic *pelna-C- "to approach." From Proto-Indo-European *pl̥-n-h2- 'id.'
Indo-European
Romance
Portuguese puxar, French pousser, Italian pulsare, Romanian pusa
Italic
Umbrian ampentu "he brought near"
Celtic
Old Irish adella "to visit," Middle Welsh el "goes," Middle Breton yal 'id.,' Cornish gallas "went"
Hellenic
Ancient Greek πίλναμαι (pílnamai) "to approach"
Armenian
Armenian elanem "exit"
Corominas, J. & J. Pascual. Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e híspanico. 6 vols. Madrid: Gredos. 1991-1997.
de Vaan, M. Etymological Dictionary of Latin and Other Italic Languages. BRILL. 2014.
Real Academia Española. Diccionario de la lengua española. Online. 23rd ed. Madrid: Espasa Calpa. 2014. http://www.rae.es/.
Sihler, A. New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin. Oxford University Press. 2008.

12 August 2019 - Update 3.92

Final updates in preparation for a particularly large data update coming at the end of the month.

Welcome

The Online Etymological Dictionary of Spanish is a free etymological dictionary of the Spanish language launched on August 6, 2016. An etymology is not a definition but a history of a word over time. This site provides an account of the development of the Spanish language as best as historical linguists are able to ascertain in a way that is accessible both by laymen and academics. If you enjoy using this dictionary, please consider donating to help keep this site alive.