canoe
kuh-NOO · noun
Origin
English adopted "canoe" in the 16th century from Spanish canoa, which came from Taíno *kanowa, meaning "dugout canoe." That Taíno word traces back further to Proto-Arawak *kanawa.
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Journey
The word passed from an Arawakan language of the Caribbean into Spanish as colonizers encountered these boats, then crossed into English largely unchanged in meaning, still naming a narrow, paddled boat.
Related words
It shares its Proto-Arawak root *kanawa with Lokono kanoa and Wayuu anuwa/anua, both also meaning "boat" or "canoe" — cousins scattered across related Arawakan languages rather than English ones.
More words
From Taíno