I agree that another language opens many doors, not only into another culture, but sometimes also into the meaning of your own language. I have known since childhood that “desayuno” in Spanish was “breakfast” in English, but without giving it much thought. Then, many years later, while reading “The Lord of the Rings” to my granddaughter, I came upon a phrase, probably by Strider, that said: “Come, let us break our fast”. It immediately burst into my mind that both words not only meant the first meal of the day; they were saying the same thing, and “desayuno” was “des-“ (a prefix meaning negation), and “ayuno” (meaning fast) – to break or eliminate the fast.

Enrique García
Mexico City
engarcia@alum.mit.edu

After breakfast, Tolkien's hobbits have elevenses. Too bad eleven is once in Spanish and not dieciuno --- desayuno could be followed by dieciunos.

That's hilarious, Myridon! Mind if I borrow it, should the occasion arise?

And welcome, Enrique. I've often had those same "a-ha!" moments with cognates.

Regarding today's word - "cay", from the Spanish "cayo", I have an anecdote I've always found amusing and typical of inter-language phonetic translations.

Growing up in Cuba in the 1950s, Key West was always referred to as "Cayo Hueso" - literally - "Key Bone". (Cayo, by the way, is also the common word in Cuba for a "corn" as in a toe corn.) When I moved to the U.S. and learned English, I was baffled as to why Key West, which would be translated as "Cayo Oeste", was called "key bone". It took a while, but I finally realized that Cayo "Hueso" was the way the Spanish ear hears "West." As far as I know, to this day, Key West is referred to as Cayo Hueso in Spanish. I guess the Spaniards never gave that key a name. Very similar to the Puerto Rican word "safacón" for garbage can which was originally how the Puerto Ricans read the stamped name on the side of the American trash cans - Safety Can. But that's another story.

From what I can find, it was Cayo Hueso before it was Key West. For example, http://www.keywestcity.com/egov/docs/1165259495219.htm

Visiting Southern California, I was confused by a street named Avenida de las Coches - Avenue of the Cars in my smidgen of modern conversational Spanish. One day, I turned on the street to find Wagonwheel Park... coaches as in stagecoaches, d'oh!

Ah, but they called their elevenses "second breakfast" so I suppose the second break-fast would follow the "second fast", which would be segundo ayuno, but you could call it dosayuno for short, in which case dosayuno would follow desayuno.

Now, "ayuno" is not a word a language learner would normally stumble upon, not even if visiting a Spanish-speaking country for a year...yes, that's me! LOL! This is new to me, and I love it! I will definitely use it. There are so many cognates and ways to tie words in with English to learn more English, it's great to have another one! Today in discussing "abrazar" (to hug), inside of this you can find "braz(o)" (arm), leading to the hug synonym, "embrace", coming from Latin "brācchium" (and others), correlating to "bracelets".... anyone fall asleep yet? LOL! I LOVE this stuff! :0)

Y no debe sentirse mal, Enrique, porque la mayoria de los estudiantes estadounidenses no tienen ningun idea del origen de "breakfast", y es su lenguaje!

You're right twosleepy, most wouldn't but then again the more common a word is the less likely we are to notice it enough to analyze it. Either an unusual construction or use of it ("break our fast") or the attempt to translate can be the spark that brings it to our notice.
I had the same "oh look at that" moment when the word entrevistadora came up in a Spanish workbook. Once I had worked out the translation (entre - in, inside, between; vista - something about seeing or a view; dora - a woman who does) I suddenly saw the connection. Inter - view - er! Aha!
I like those moments.

Spanish ayuno is from Latin jejunium 'fast, fasting' (related to jejenus 'hungry, thin, poor (of land)' > English jejune).

and medical jejunum - part of the digestive tract.