Reference Centre, Dictionnaires
Dictionary of Spanish Words and Phrases
This list contains Spanish words with their English translations. The words included here are only those that one is likely to find in a genealogical or historical document or record. If the word you are looking for is not on this list, please consult a Spanish-English dictionary.
Spanish is a Romance language derived from Latin with its foundations being laid during the Roman conquest of the Iberian Peninsula between 200 and 100 B.C.E. (B.C.). Like all languages its' spelling was not standardized until the mid-1700s. Clerks, in their written records, spelled words based upon the way a word sounded and also in accordance with the level of their own understanding of language as gained through their education. Variations between the old-style and modern-style of spelling words should not cause too much trouble for a researcher.
Spanish is spoken throughout Spain, Cuba and in some Central and South American countries. It can also be heard in various regions of the United States of America that are heavily populated by Hispanic immigrants, such as southern California and south Florida. Spanish is also one of the two official languages of Puerto Rico. There are slight differences between the Spanish spoken in Spain and that spoken in the Americas.
Many English words come from Spanish. For instance, cargo, cork, mosquito, potato, ranch, rodeo, tornado and vanilla.