iguana (English)

Where does "iguana" come from?

The English word 'iguana' was borrowed from the Spanish 'iguana'[1][2]. This Spanish term originates from the Taíno 'iwana'[1][2], which traces back further to a Proto-Arawak root[3].

Open questions

• The Taíno word 'iwana' is a reconstructed form derived from a Proto-Arawak ancestor. [3]

Full etymology tree

• iguana (English), 'A green iguana (Iguana iguana), a large tropical American lizard often kept as a pet.'
  • borrowed iguana (Spanish), 'iguana'
    • borrowed *iwana (Taíno), 'iguana'
      • inherited *iwana (Proto-Arawak)

Ancestors

• iguana (Spanish)
• *iwana (Taíno)

Descendants and derived words

• guana (English)
• iggie (English)
• iggy (English)
• iggy (English)
• iggy (English)
• iguaniform (English)
• iguanoid (English)
• iguanoid (English)
• iguanomorph (English)
• iguanomorph (English)
• marine iguana (English)
• ringed spinytail iguana (English)

Sources

1. iguana (English) - Wiktionary
2. iguana (Spanish) - Wiktionary
3. iwana (Taíno) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

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