Anthropology

Definition of cannibal

A cannibal is a person who engages in anthropophagy: that is, who eats human flesh. Cannibals, therefore, are human beings who eat human beings. The concept, however, can be used in a broader sense to name the member of any species that feeds on the flesh of others […]

Definition of caliphate

The regime headed by a caliph is called caliphate. The territory and period ruled by one of these Muslim leaders is also called caliphate. To understand what a caliphate is, therefore, it is essential to understand the notion of caliph. This term derives from the French calife, although it has its etymological origin in a […]

Definition of chief

The highest authority of an Aboriginal community is called a chief. The concept arose in the Taíno groups that lived in the Antilles. With the Spanish colonization of the American continent, the notion began to be used with reference to all indigenous leaders. For example: «When the Europeans arrived, they were received by the chief», «Tomorrow there will be […]

Definition of wedding

A wedding is a ritual that allows two people to get married. The celebrations that take place to celebrate the ceremony in question are also called a wedding. The etymology of the term refers us to the Latin vote, which is the plural of votum (a term that can be translated as "vote"). For example: «Tomorrow is […]

Definition of biotype

The concept of biotype derives from the scientific Latin biotypus, which in turn has its origin in a compound word from the Greek language: bio (which translates as “life”) and týpos (translatable as “type”). The notion is used in the field of biology to name the characteristic shape of a plant or […]

Definition of bisexual

In order to delve into the meaning of the term bisexual, it is necessary to know, first of all, its etymological origin. In this case, we can say that it is a word that derives from Latin since it is the result of the sum of three clearly delimited components such as these: -The prefix «bi-«, which can be translated as «two». […]

Definition of kiss

Kiss is the act and result of kissing: pressing or brushing another person with a movement of the lips as a greeting or as a manifestation of affection. In certain particular cases the kiss can have other meanings. A word of Celtic origin derived from the Latin basium, which later reached our […]

Definition of Bedouin

A Bedouin is an Arab man who is nomadic (that is, he does not reside in a fixed place, but moves around different regions, usually while carrying out herding or hunting tasks). The term in our language comes from the French bédouin, in turn from the classical Arabic badawī. The Bedouins, originally from Arabia, live […]

Definition of Aztec

Aztec is a notion that is used in different ways and often gives rise to confusion. According to what is detailed in the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), the term comes from aztécatl, a concept from the Nahuatl language that mentions the inhabitants of Aztlán. It is called Aztlán, on the other hand, when […]

Definition of autochthonous

The native term traveled a long etymological path before reaching Spanish. Its origins are found in the Greek word autochthōn. It then passed into Latin as autochthŏnes, and later into French as autochtone. Autochthonous is an adjective that can be applied to a living being, product or place that is original or native […]