menudo (English)
Where does "menudo" come from?
The English word 'menudo' was borrowed from Spanish[1]. This term stems from the Latin 'minūtus', meaning 'small' or 'little'[2], which itself derives from the verb 'minuō', meaning 'diminish'[3]. This root traces back even further to the Proto-Indo-European '*mey-', representing the concept of 'small'[4]. Notably, 'menudo' is a doublet of the English words 'minute' and 'menu'[2].
Open questions
- The reconstructed Proto-Indo-European root '*mey-' carries uncertainty regarding whether its formation was '*mi-néw-ti' or '*mi-néh₁-ti'. [4]
Full etymology tree
- menudo (English), 'A traditional Mexican soup made with tripe and chili peppers.'
- borrowed menudo (Spanish), 'what (a/an) (intensifier, followed by a noun)'
- inherited minutus (Latin), 'diminished, having been diminished'
- derived minuo (Latin), 'to make smaller, lessen, diminish, reduce, minimize'
- inherited *minuō (Proto-Italic), 'to lessen, make smaller'
- derived *mey- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to strengthen'
- inherited *minuō (Proto-Italic), 'to lessen, make smaller'
- derived minuo (Latin), 'to make smaller, lessen, diminish, reduce, minimize'
- inherited minutus (Latin), 'diminished, having been diminished'
- borrowed menudo (Spanish), 'what (a/an) (intensifier, followed by a noun)'
Ancestors
- menudo (Spanish)
Cognates and doublets
- menu (English)
- minute (English)
Sources
- menudo (English) - Wiktionary
- menudo (Spanish) - Wiktionary
- minutus (Latin) - Wiktionary
- minuo (Latin) - Wiktionary
Updated August 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris