Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month!

National Hispanic Heritage Month is observed from September 15 through October 15. Friends of the Inyo would like to celebrate with our community by sharing the meanings of just a few Spanish-language words that have made their way into English.

We begin with a word that defines the place we call home: Sierra. In Spanish it means both “saw” and “mountain range,” most likely because the peaks of a mountain range resemble the teeth on a saw blade. It is easy to see the relation between sierra and the English word serrated, which means notched or toothed on the edge, according to Merriam-Webster.

As is the case with many English and Spanish words, the root for both sierra and serrated comes from the Latin: in this case serra, which (you guessed it!) means “saw.”

And Sierra Nevada means snowed-over mountain range. Poetic, no?

More Spanish words to come in upcoming posts during Hispanic Heritage Month.

¡Hasta luego!