Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·Spanish ·1580s
Bravado
from bravada
- Meaning
- A show of courage, often pretended.
- Source word
- bravada
- Route into English
- Old Spanish *bravada* (a brave deed) → English with the ending reshaped to match Italian-style *-ado* words. The negative connotation — empty bravery — is an English development; the Spanish original is neutral.
- Arrived
- 1580s
From Spanish
American Spanish, not peninsular Spanish, provided most of the modern loanwords — through US expansion westward and Latin American trade.
English borrows.
Browse the full loanword atlas or explore another source language.