The Etymology of Avocado
The English word "avocado" traces back to Nahuatl ahuacatl, which meant both "avocado" and "testicle." The Aztecs named the fruit for its shape, particularly the way it hangs in pairs from the branch.βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ When Spanish conquistadors encountered the fruit in the 1500s, they borrowed the Nahuatl word as aguacate, adapting the unfamiliar sounds to Spanish pronunciation. English speakers then took aguacate and reshaped it further through folk etymology β the unfamiliar word was remolded to resemble abogado, the Spanish word for "lawyer" or "advocate," producing the form "avocado" by the 1690s. The fruit was also known as "alligator pear" in English, named for its rough green skin and pear-like shape.