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

Word of the Day

ah (Interjection) Denotes surprise or pain akin to English ah!
First attested in the 15th cent. From Latin ah 'id.' Onomatopoetic. Perhaps continued from Proto-Italic *ā 'id.' From Proto-Indo-European *eh2 'id.'
Also used to mark a question. For example, ¿pero no fuiste a Peru, ah? "but you didn't go to Peru, eh?" Common across all Romance languages and regional dialects.

As a common but simple interjection, the word is relatively unstudied. Its simplistic phonology makes it resistent to etymological analysis, as it could conceivably arise ex nihilo.

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.