Tabasco
English
Etymology
Of unclear origin.[1] The first definition listed in the 1994 Diccionario enciclopédico de Tabasco was from the Mayan name of the area, tlapalco meaning "(place of) damp earth"[2]; wetlands are still extensive in the Mexican state of Tabasco. Other opinions listed were Mayan word tab-uaxac-koh, meaning "(our) lord of eight lions";[2] others suggest it derives from a Nahuatl word: tla-uashka-ko meaning "place that has an owner",[2] or tlapachtli.
The tabasco pepper was popular in the Mexican state and is named for it; a hot sauce made from that pepper was eaten in the state since the 1650s,[3][1] and a version was popularized in the United States and elsewhere by the McIlhenny Company of Avery Island, Louisiana, beginning in the 1870s.[1]
Noun
Tabasco (uncountable)
- A spicy pepper sauce made from tabasco pepper (a chili pepper) with the addition of vinegar and salt.
Derived terms
Translations
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References
- “Tabasco” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2019.
- Diccionario enciclopédico de Tabasco, volume 2 (1994), page 628: "[...] Tabasco procede de tlapalco, "en la tierra húmeda" [...]. Marcos E. Becerra, en su obra Nombres geográficos de Tabasco, descarta la versión atribuida a los doctores Brinton y Berendt, en el sentido de que Tabasco viene del maya tab-uaxac-koh, que en su proceso de castellanización pasó a ser sucesivamente Tabuashakoj, Tabuasaco, Tabuasco y al fin Tabasco, que significa "nuestro señor el de los ocho leones". En cambio, sostiene que Tabasco deriva del náhuatl "Tla-uash-ko: de tla, prefijo pronominal indeterminativo, alguno; uashka, dominio, propiedad; y ko, terminación toponímica", o sea "lugar que tiene dueño". El historiador Diógenes López [...]"
- Maryann Tebben, Sauces: A Global History →ISBN, 2014)
Spanish
Etymology
Unclear; see Tabasco.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /taˈbasko/, [t̪aˈβasko]
Related terms
See also
