Where does “machete” come from?
machete (Eastern Huasteca Nahuatl) comes from Spanish machete, from Spanish macho, from Old Spanish maslo, from Vulgar Latin masclus, from Latin masculus, from Latin mās, from Proto-Nuristani *māsa, from Proto-Indo-Iranian mā́Has — to measure.
machete (Eastern Huasteca Nahuatl): machete
Ancestry of “machete”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Spanish | machete | machete; mediocre method for obtaining somewhat... |
| 2 | Spanish | macho | male; strong, brave; sledgehammer |
| 3 | Old Spanish | maslo | — |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | masclus | Alternative form of masculus; male |
| 5 | Latin | masculus | male, masculine; man, male |
| 6 | Latin | mās | — |
| 7 | Proto-Nuristani | *māsa | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | mā́Has | moon; month |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | mḗh₁n̥s | moon; month |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | meh₁- | to measure |