List of 153 Words That Originated in America

English has evolved significantly since migrating to the United States. From New York, to Kansas, to California, new words have developed, including many borrowed from Native American peoples.

Word	Origin
abalone	From Rumsen aulon.
achiote	From Nahuatl āchiotl.
agouti	From Tupi akutí.
alpaca	From Aymara allpaqa.
anole	From Dominica Island Carib anáoli.
apishamore	From Ojibwa apishamon.
atamasco lily	From Virginia Algonquian attamusco.
atlatl	From Nahuatl ahtlatl.
atole	From Nahuatl atolli.
avocado	From Nahuatl āhuacatl.
axolotl	From Nahuatl āxōlōtl.
ayahuasca	From Quechua ayawaska.
barbecue	From American Spanish barbacoa.
cacao	From Nahuatl cacahuatl.
cachua	From American Spanish cachúa.
cacique	From Taino.
caiman	From Carib acayuman.
cannibal	From Taino caniba.
capybara	From Tupi kapiʔiwara.
caribou	From Micmac γalipu.
cashew	From Tupi akajú.
cassava	From Taino caçábi.
catalpa	From Creek katáłpa.
cayenne	From Tupi kyinha.
cenote	From Yucatec ts'onot.
chayote	From Nahuatl chayohtli.
cheechako	From Nootka čokʷa·.
chia	From Nahuatl chía.
chicha	From Cuna chichah.
chicle	From Nahautl tzictli.
chili	From Nahuatl chīlli.
chinquapin	From Virginia Algonquian chechinquamin.
chipmunk	From Ojibwa ačitamo·nʔ.
chipotle	From Nahuatl *chīlpōctli.
chocolate	From Nahuatl chocolātl.
chuckwalla	From Cahuilla čáxwal.
chuño	From Quechua ch'úñu.
cisco	From Canadian French ciscoette.
coca	From Quechua kuka.
condor	From Quechua kuntur.
coontie	From Creek kontí·.
copal	From Nahuatl copalli.
coyote	From Nahuatl coyōtl.
coypu	From Mapuche coipu.
degu	From Mapudungun deuñ.
dory	From Miskito dóri.
epazote	From Nahuatl epazōtl.
eulachon	From Chinook Jargon ulâkân.
geoduck	From Lushootseed gʷídəq.
guacamole	From Nahuatl āhuacamōlli.
guan	From Kuna kwama.
guanaco	From Quechua wanaku.
guano	From Quechua wanu.
guava	From Taino guayavá.
hammock	From Taino, via Spanish hamaca.
hickory	From Virginia Algonquian pawcohiccora.
hoatzin	From Nahuatl huāctzin.
hogan	From Navajo hooghan.
hurricane	From Taino hurakán.
husky	From Cree aškime·w.
igloo	From Inuit iglu.
iguana	From Arawak iwana.
Inca	From Quechua inka.
jaguar	From Tupi jawára.
jaguarundi	From Old Guarani yaguarundi.
jerky	From Quechua ch'arki.
jicama	From Nahuatl xīcamatl.
kachina	From Hopi qacína.
kayak	From Inuit qayaq.
kinkajou	From Algonquian, via French quincajou.
kiva	From Hopi kíva.
kokanee	From Shuswap kəknǽxʷ.
lagniappe	From American Spanish la ñapa.
llama	From Quechua.
macana	From Taino.
maize	From Taino mahiz.
malamute	From Inupiat malimiut.
manioc	From Tupi maniʔóka.
maraca	From Tupi maraká.
mesquite	From Nahuatl mizquitl.
moccasin	From Virginia Algonquian mockasin.
moose	From Algonquian.
mugwump	From Massachusett mugquomp.
mukluk	From Yupik maklak.
muskeg	From Cree maske·k
muskellunge	From Ojibwa ma·skino·še·.
nopal	From Nahuatl nohpalli.
ocelot	From Nahuatl ōcēlōtl.
opossum	From Algonquian aposoum.
pampa	From Quechua.
papaya	From Arawak papáia.
pecan	From Illinois pakani.
pemmican	From Cree pimihka·n.
persimmon	From Virginia Algonquian pessemmin.
petunia	From Tupi petɨ́ma.
peyote	From Nahuatl peyotl.
piki	From Hopi píki.
pinole	From Nahuatl pinolli.
pipsissewa	From Eastern Abenaki kpi-pskwáhsawe.
piranha	From Tupi pirã́ja.
pogonip	From Shoshone paγɨnappɨh.
poncho	From Mapuche, via American Spanish.
pone	From Virginia Algonquian appone.
potato	From Taino, via Spanish batata.
potlatch	From Nootka p̓aƛp̓ač.
powwow	From Narragansett powwaw or Massachusett pauwau.
puccoon	From Virginia Algonquian poughkone.
puma	From Quechua.
punkie	From Delaware (Munsee) pónkwəs.
quahog	From Narragansett poquaûhock.
quetzal	From Nahuatl quetzalli.
quinine	From Quechua kina, via Spanish quina.
quinoa	From Quechua kinua.
raccoon	From Virginia Algonquian raugroughcun.
sachem	From Narragansett sâchim.
sagamore	From Eastern Abenaki sὰkəmα.
saguaro	From Mexican Spanish.
salal	From Lower Chinook sálal.
sapodilla	From Nahuatl tzapotl.
sapota	From Nahuatl tzapotl.
savanna	From Taino zabana.
seriema	From Tupi çariama.
skookum	From Chehalis skukm.
skunk	From Algonquian *šeka·kwa.
sockeye	From North Straits Salish sə́qəy̓.
soroche	From Quechua surúchi.
sotol	From Nahuatl zōtōlin.
squash	From Narragansett askútasquash.
succotash	From Narragansett msíckquatash.
tamale	From Nahuatl tamalli.
tapioca	From Tupi tɨpɨʔóka.
tapir	From Tupi tapiʔíra.
tequila	From Tequila, a Mexican town.
terrapin	From Virginia Algonquian *to·rəpe·w.
tepee	From Dakota thípi.
tobacco	From Spanish tabaco, probably from Taino.
toboggan	From Algonquian, via Canadian French tobogan.
tomahawk	From Virginia Algonquian tomahack.
tomato	From Nahuatl tomatl.
totem	From Ojibwa oto·te·man.
toucan	From Tupi tukána.
tuckahoe	From Virginia Algonquian tockawhoughe.
tule	From Nahuatl tōllin.
tullibee	Probably from Cree otonabi, via Canadian French toulibi.
vicuña	From Quechua wik'uña.
wampum	From Narraganset wampompeag.
wanigan	From Ojibwa wa·nikka·n.
wapatoo	From Cree wāpatowa.
wapiti	From Shawnee wa·piti.
wickiup	From Fox (an Algonquian language) wi·kiya·pi.
wigwam	From Eastern Abenaki wìkəwαm.
yaupon	From Catawba yą́pą.
yuca	From Taino yuca.

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