The True Meaning of “Texas”

If you're a true Texan then you have the state's name branded on your soul.

But do you know what the word "Texas" even means?

An unshakable strength, a solid belief in family, a loudmouth machismo that is quintessentially American?

Texas.

Word.Tips is a wonderful website and word finder to help you cheat at the game Scrabble, and the nerds that work there did something incredibly interesting, but ultimately pointless, in their probable abundance of spare time.

They decoded the literal meaning of every single United States' names, and threw in a few iconic southwestern cities along the dust covered trail as well.

San Antonio can thank their name to Saint Anthony of Padua.

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As it turns out, the word "Texas" is derived from the Caddo tribe word "taysha," which means "friend" or "ally".

The Spanish spelling of "taysha" is "Tejas".

In the 17th century, the Spanish referred to the westernmost Caddo peoples as "the great kingdom of Tejas".

Later on "Texas" became the beautiful name of the 28th state of the United States.

And the most badass mothertrucking state in the, ahem, Union.

The Caddo continue to be a federally recognized tribe of indigenous people, with a rich and diverse culture, from Louisiana, and East Texas.

Now every time you tell someone you're from Texas, when you tell him you're a friend, you can mean it, literally.

With much more than just a drop of irony.