avocado

From Nahuatl āhuacatl, which also meant “testicle,” likely describing how the fruit hangs from the tree in pairs.

Spanish reshaped the unfamiliar Nahuatl word into aguacate, and a later folk-etymological twist produced avocado — nudged along by the unrelated Spanish word abogado (lawyer). That detour is also why avocados were once called “alligator pears” in English.

Guacamole comes from the same Nahuatl root, combining āhuacatl with molli (sauce).