MI Printing: Words To The Wise... Arizona

We live in Arizona and love Arizona, but few people know what the word Arizona means.  Even the experts disagree on its origin. In printing it is important to know the right words and the meaning. Many words like state and city names, we never give a moments thought to their origin or meaning. Knowing the correct meaning of a word allows us to know that we are saying in print what we meant to say. This makes sure we won't be misunderstood in our communications.

The word Arizona comes from one of the following (its origin is not certain): the Aztec Indian word "arizuma," that means "silver-bearing," from the Tohono O'odham Indian word "Aleh-zone" which means "small spring," from the Papago arizonac, meaning little spring or few springs or the Pima Indian word "Ali shonak" which also means "small spring".  Although there are other possibilities, so this origin should not be taken as a certainty.

Many believe the name Arizonat comes from the Spanish arida (dry) + zona (area). This is certainly not the ultimate origin, although it is likely that this Spanish combination influenced the form and adoption of the word in both Spanish and English.