Etymology

The word marshmallow comes from an Old English word meaning “a kind of mallow plant (Alethea officinalis) which grows near salt marshes; hence, marsh + mallow. The confection (as of 1877) was made from paste from the roots of this plant. The Greek word for the plant, alethaea, comes from the word alethein, meaning “to heal.”

Piñata (first seen in 1887) is a Spanish word meaning “jug, pot,” as it is an object full of candy that is used at parties. However, the word piñata itself comes from the Latin word pinea meaning “pine cone,” because the traditional paper covering of a piñata resembles the rough exterior of a pine cone. 

"Quack" originates from the Greek word koax meaning “the croaking of frogs.” Additionally, quack is connected with the Hittite word akuwakuwash meaning frog as well as the Middle English phrase on the quakke (14th century) meaning “hoarse croaking.”

The word ketchup may have originated from many words, such as the Chinese word koechiap meaning “brine of fish.” While ketchup may have originally been a fish sauce, the word came to be used for a wide variety of spiced gravies and sauces. “The Cook’s Oracle,” (1817) by William Kitchiner of London devotes seven pages to recipes for different types of ketchup, including walnut, mushroom, oyster, cockle and mussel, tomato, white (vinegar and anchovies), cucumber, and pudding.