Spanish words with corrupted meaning

[Maciamo]

I am currently reading a book in Spanish and watching a few series in Spanish as well. I thought it was the perfect opportunity to analyse a bit the language as I came across words that seemed to have undergone a change of meaning from their Latin root. There are of course many words like that in French too, but here I am focusing on Spanish. Italian generally remained truer to its Latin etymology.


[TABLE="class: grid, width: 600"]
[TR]
[TD]Spanish[/TD]
[TD]Etymology (from Latin unless otherwise specified)[/TD]
[TD]Original meaning[/TD]
[TD]Present meaning[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]atreverse[/TD]
[TD]attribuire sibi[/TD]
[TD]attribute oneself[/TD]
[TD]dare[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]candil[/TD]
[TD]candela[/TD]
[TD]candel[/TD]
[TD]oil lamp[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]ceja[/TD]
[TD]cilia[/TD]
[TD]eyelash[/TD]
[TD]eyebrow[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]cigala[/TD]
[TD]cicada[/TD]
[TD]cicada[/TD]
[TD]Norway lobster[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]cobijo[/TD]
[TD]cubicūlum[/TD]
[TD]bedroom[/TD]
[TD]refuge, shelter[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]cobrar[/TD]
[TD]from recuperare[/TD]
[TD]recuperate, recover, get back[/TD]
[TD]collect, cash, get paid[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]cordero[/TD]
[TD]cordus[/TD]
[TD]"born late"[/TD]
[TD]lamb[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]cortar[/TD]
[TD]curtāre[/TD]
[TD]shorten[/TD]
[TD]cut[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]doblegar[/TD]
[TD]duplicāre[/TD]
[TD]duplicate, double[/TD]
[TD]defeat, beat, subdue[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]entender[/TD]
[TD]intendere[/TD]
[TD]hear[/TD]
[TD]understand[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]enterar[/TD]
[TD]integrare[/TD]
[TD]complete, renovate[/TD]
[TD]inform, notify[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]entregar[/TD]
[TD]integrare[/TD]
[TD]integrate[/TD]
[TD]deliver, hand over, entrust[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]equivocar[/TD]
[TD]aequus+ vocāre[/TD]
[TD]be ambiguous, have more than one meaning[/TD]
[TD]mistake[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]esperar[/TD]
[TD]spērāre[/TD]
[TD]hope[/TD]
[TD]wait[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]éxito[/TD]
[TD]exĭtus[/TD]
[TD]exit[/TD]
[TD]success[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]fracasar[/TD]
[TD]from the Italian fracassare[/TD]
[TD]smash up[/TD]
[TD]fail, be unsuccessful[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]garfio[/TD]
[TD]graphĭum[/TD]
[TD]pen[/TD]
[TD]hook[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]gordo[/TD]
[TD]gurdus[/TD]
[TD]silly, foolish[/TD]
[TD]fat[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]lástima[/TD]
[TD]blasphemus[/TD]
[TD]blasphemy[/TD]
[TD]pity, shame[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]lejos[/TD]
[TD]laxus[/TD]
[TD]ample, loose, lax[/TD]
[TD]far (away)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]llevar[/TD]
[TD]levare[/TD]
[TD]raise[/TD]
[TD]carry, take, etc.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]marchar[/TD]
[TD]from the French marcher[/TD]
[TD]walk, march[/TD]
[TD]leave, go away[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]muslo[/TD]
[TD]muscŭlus[/TD]
[TD]muscle[/TD]
[TD]thigh[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]nimio[/TD]
[TD]nimius[/TD]
[TD]abundant, excessive[/TD]
[TD]insignificant[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]ostentar[/TD]
[TD]ostentāre[/TD]
[TD]show, display[/TD]
[TD]hold, occupy[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]palabra[/TD]
[TD]parabōla[/TD]
[TD]comparison, proverb[/TD]
[TD]word[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]plata[/TD]
[TD]plata[/TD]
[TD]plate, sheet of metal[/TD]
[TD]silver[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]prender[/TD]
[TD]prēndĕre[/TD]
[TD]take[/TD]
[TD]set fire / fasten, attach[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]pronto[/TD]
[TD]promptus[/TD]
[TD]prompt, quick[/TD]
[TD]soon[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]pueblo[/TD]
[TD]popŭlus[/TD]
[TD]people[/TD]
[TD]village[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]quedar[/TD]
[TD]quietare[/TD]
[TD]be quiet[/TD]
[TD]stay, keep[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]raro[/TD]
[TD]rarus[/TD]
[TD]rare[/TD]
[TD]strange[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]rescatar[/TD]
[TD]recaptare[/TD]
[TD]get back[/TD]
[TD]rescue, save, recover[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]rescate[/TD]
[TD]recapatare[/TD]
[TD]return[/TD]
[TD]ransom[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]restar[/TD]
[TD]restare[/TD]
[TD]stay[/TD]
[TD]diminish / subtract, deduct[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]sigilo[/TD]
[TD]sigilus[/TD]
[TD]seal[/TD]
[TD]discretion, silence[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]suceso[/TD]
[TD]successus[/TD]
[TD]success[/TD]
[TD]event, happening[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]tener[/TD]
[TD]tenere[/TD]
[TD]hold[/TD]
[TD]have[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]tormenta[/TD]
[TD]tormenta[/TD]
[TD]upheaval[/TD]
[TD]storm[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]


Note that esperar can also mean 'to hope', but the most common meaning is 'to wait'.

Feel free to propose more words.

 

[Nicu]

This happened fairly commonly in all the Romance languages, but its a pretty normal process in linguistic evolution; things change over time, meanings become corrupted, although that word is putting a kind of negative spin on it. In fact the inherited vocabulary of a language is more likely to have changed or evolved in some way, either semantically or morphologically, as opposed to borrowed words that were later taken in a learned or scholarly fashion, artificially preserving the original meaning.