Spanish (adj) from Middle English Spainish from Spain. The many Spanish words that have passed into English include alligator, armadillo, armada, bonanza, cargo, embargo, garrotte, guerrilla, gusto, intransigent, macho, mosquito, patio, peccadillo, ranch, silo, stevedore, stockade, tornado, vanilla, and vigilante. Many of the best-known ones reflect Spanish exploration and involvement in America. Further words (such as cafeteria, canyon, lariat, and stampede) were first borrowed in American English from words specific to the varieties of Spanish that have evolved in America, and it seems likely that the growing Hispanic population in the USA will increasingly influence the language. In addition, Spanish has been the medium through which many loanwords from Central and South American languages (such as potato and tobacco) have entered English