ceviche (English)

Where does "ceviche" come from?

The English noun 'ceviche' was borrowed from Spanish 'cebiche'[1]. The ultimate origin of the Spanish term remains uncertain[2]. Proposed explanations include a derivation from 'cebo' combined with the suffix '-iche', a connection to the Quechua word 'siwichi' meaning 'undercooked', or a descent through Andalusian Arabic from the Arabic dish name 'sikbāj' meaning 'meat cooked in vinegar', which ultimately traces back to Middle Persian[2].

Open questions

• The etymology of cebiche is uncertain, with competing theories pointing to Spanish morphemes, Quechua terms, or Arabic and Middle Persian roots. [2]

Full etymology tree

• ceviche (English), 'Raw seafood cured by marination in an acidic medium such as citrus, vinegar, or other souring agent, found primarily in Latin America.'
  • borrowed cebiche (Spanish), 'ceviche (raw seafood cured by marination in an acidic medium such as citrus, vinegar, or other souring agent, found primarily in Latin America)'
    • derived cebo (Spanish), 'bait'
      • inherited cibus (Latin), 'food, fodder'
    • suffix -iche (Spanish)
    • derived (Arabic)
      • derived سكباج (sikbāj) (Arabic), 'sikbaj, a dish of meat which is cooked or marinated in vinegar, eaten since at least the sixth century'
        • derived *sḵbʾk' (sikbāg) (Middle Persian)
          • compound sḵ (sik) (Middle Persian)
          • compound *bʾk' (bāg) (Middle Persian)
    • derived siwichi (Quechua)

Ancestors

• cebiche (Spanish)

Sources

1. ceviche (English) - Wiktionary
2. cebiche (Spanish) - Wiktionary
3. cebo (Spanish) - Wiktionary
4. cibus (Latin) - Wiktionary
5. سكباج (sikbāj) (Arabic) - Wiktionary

Updated September 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris