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

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santo (Adjective, Noun) "holy;" "saint"
10th cent. From Latin sanctus 'id.' (Archaic Latin sakros "sacred"). From Proto-Italic *sank-to- "holy," but also "made safe." From Proto-Indo-European *sh2-n̥-k- "to secure," from earlier root *seh2k- 'id.'
San is from santo via apocopation.
Indo-European
Romance
Asturian santu, Portuguese santo, Galician santo, Catalan sant, French saint, Italian santo, Aromanian sãntu, sãmtu, Romanian sânt, Sardinian santu
Italic
Oscan saahtúm "sanctified," Umbrian sanśie, name of the god of trust
Celtic
Celtiberian sankilistara "money-fine"
Basque
Low Navarrese saindu "saint," "holy," Zuberoan sáintü 'id.,' borrowed from Spanish
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.

9 November 2018 - Update 3.2

A series of shadow updates were implemented over the past month: changes in formatting and font, an improved layout to display cognates in other languages, and information added.

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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.