English
empacho
Empacho comes from Spanish empachar ‘to obstruct’, from Old French empeechier ‘to fetter’, and ultimately from Latin pedis ‘foot’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpedis1‘foot’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpedica2‘shackle, fetter’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEimpedicō3as impedicāre‘to fetter’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400empeechier3‘to fetter’
- Spanishc. 1500–presentempachar4‘to obstruct’
- Spanishc. 1500–presentempacho5
- Englishtodayempacho5
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin pedica
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin impedico
- 3 Wiktionary, Spanish empachar
- 4 Wiktionary, Spanish empacho
- 5 Wiktionary, English empacho
Earlier history not traced here. See Wiktionary.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpedisWiktionary, Latin pedica‘foot’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpedicaWiktionary, Latin impedico‘shackle, fetter’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEimpedicōWiktionary, Spanish empacharas impedicāre‘to fetter’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400empeechierWiktionary, Spanish empachar‘to fetter’
- Spanishc. 1500–presentempacharWiktionary, Spanish empacho‘to obstruct’
- Spanishc. 1500–presentempachoWiktionary, English empacho
- EnglishtodayempachoWiktionary, English empacho
Linked words
through Latin pedis ‘foot’
expedition, expedite, pedantry, pedant, 12 more
through Latin impedicō ‘to fetter’
through Old French empeechier ‘to fetter’
Today it means
noun A Hispanic folk illness ascribed to blockage of the stomach.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “empacho”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin pedica, Latin impedico, Spanish empachar, Spanish empacho. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Latin pedis / empacho