Love it. In many Catalan words, the 'el' is dropped: algodón = cotó, alberginia = berenjena, alcachofa = carxofa, azucar = sucre, algarroba = garrofa... can't think of any more off the top of my head (Hello from a Classics graduate living in Barcelona)
Edit - sorry, strangely, got berenjena the wrong way round!
Love it. In many Catalan words, the 'el' is dropped: algodón = cotó, alberginia = berenjena, alcachofa = carxofa, azucar = sucre, algarroba = garrofa... can't think of any more off the top of my head (Hello from a Classics graduate living in Barcelona)
Edit - sorry, strangely, got berenjena the wrong way round!
Yes!
There are also words in Spanish of Arabic origin that lost the 'al' when adopted in English, e.g. algodon -- cotton; azucar -- sugar
Yes!
What an absolute treat!
Outstanding article. Also timely for me - expecting to visit Algeciras and Alhambra for the first time later this year!
Thanks Aaron. Time I visited!
Very interesting.