70 borrowed words

The word alligator comes from the Spanish 'el lagarto', which means 'the lizard'. It's thought early Spanish explorers to Florida gave the creatures this name.

Horror movies are full of zombies - scary dead people who move as if they were alive. The word is thought to originate from the West African words zumbi meaning 'fetish' (Kikongo), and nzambi meaning 'god' (Kimbundu). The word may also be influenced by the Spanish word sombra, which means 'shade' or 'ghost'.