Where does “Cacao” come from?
Cacao (Tagalog) comes from Tagalog kakaw, from Spanish Cacao, from Classical Nahuatl cacahuatl, from Proto-Nahuan *kakawa-.
Ancestry of “Cacao”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Tagalog | kakaw | cacao tree; cacao fruit or seed |
| 2 | Spanish | Cacao | — |
| 3 | Classical Nahuatl | cacahuatl | cacao, cacao bean |
| 4 | Proto-Nahuan | *kakawa- | — |