Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “papaya” come from?

Papaya comes from Spanish papaya, borrowed from Arawak papáia, a word of unknown ultimate origin.

papaya (English): A tropical American evergreen tree, "Carica...

Definitions

  1. A tropical American evergreen tree, "Carica...

Ancestry of “papaya”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Spanishpapayapapaya; vagina; easy
2Arawakpapáiapapaya

Words derived from “papaya”

  • papain
  • papaw
  • papaia
Every word from Arawak papáia →