Where does “cuyca̱ŋ” come from?

cuyca̱ŋ (Highland Popoluca) comes from Spanish cuy, from Quechua quwi — guinea pig or rabbit, often female.

cuyca̱ŋ (Highland Popoluca): carpenter ant (Camponotus spp.)

Definitions

  1. carpenter ant (Camponotus spp.)

Ancestry of “cuyca̱ŋ”, step by step

cuyca̱ŋ traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Spanish cuy

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Spanishcuyguinea pig; guinea pig meat
2Quechuaquwiguinea pig or rabbit, often female

via Highland Popoluca ca̱ŋ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Highland Popolucaca̱ŋany wild cat (jaguar, cougar, etc.)
2Proto-Turkickaŋfather
Every word from Quechua quwi →Every word from Spanish cuy →