Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·Spanish ·1750s
Mesa
from mesa
- Meaning
- A flat-topped hill with steep sides, common in the American Southwest.
- Source word
- mesa
- Route into English
- Spanish *mesa* (table, from Latin *mensa*) → American English via Spanish explorers and Mexican rancheros in the Southwest. The "table" metaphor was applied to the landform in Spain long before.
- Arrived
- 1750s
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.