Is 'chocolate' English, or is it actually Spanish?

'Chocolate' is a word borrowed from Spanish 'chocolate'. The word entered the English language some time around 1604.

chocolate [noun] [1604]

• a beverage made by mixing chocolate with water or milk
• a food prepared from ground roasted cacao beans
• a small candy with a center (as a fondant) and a chocolate coating
• a brownish gray

Meaning: sweet food from roasted cacao.

Etymology: From Spanish chocolate from Nahuatl chocolatl.

Topics: Food:Sweets, Linguistics.

Origin: From Nahuatl to Spanish to English.

note: Meaning: sweet food from roasted cacao. Etymology: From Spanish chocolate from Nahuatl chocolatl.

See 'chocolate' on the Loan Words Map

See more loan words from Spanish.

See more loan words from 1600s.