A vocabulary of landscape — a landscape of words
975 entries
rincón
A corner, a nook — specifically a sheltered recess in a canyon wall, a box-end side canyon, or any protected natural enclosure in the landscape. Rincones provided shelter, shade, and defensible positions; many bear evidence of habitation. The word is common in place names across the Southwest.
Etymology
Spanish rincón (corner, nook, inner angle), from Old Spanish rencón, from Andalusi Arabic rukán, from Classical Arabic rukn (corner, pillar, support). The pre-Roman Iberian association is a common folk etymology, but the trail leads to Arabic — a legacy of Moorish Spain.