*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Cali

Clipping of California. Compare Vietnamese Ca Li.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
name

Nickname for California: a state of the United States.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of California. Compare Vietnamese Ca Li.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clipping",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "California"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of California"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "vi",
        "2": "Ca Li"
      },
      "expansion": "Vietnamese Ca Li"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "California",
      "California#English"
    ],
    [
      "Ca Li",
      "Ca Li#Vietnamese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "Nickname for California: a state of the United States."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "colloquial"
      ],
      "recordId": "bdbc4c1fbc4a6f4100c2915b3d4ed714c6b20857819a4a1816861e5ad2cd0d87",
      "rawRecordSha256": "ed2f1c2af30915675e1584148b33a139103b9d7dca320063bcba7292d5cf51df",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 186556
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
name

A city in western Colombia, southwest of Bogotá. · A river in Colombia which flows by the city.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Spanish Cali, from Calima.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mentionCalies
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "es",
        "3": "Cali"
      },
      "expansion": "Spanish Cali"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Cali",
      "Cali#Spanish"
    ],
    [
      "Calima",
      "Calima#Spanish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A city in western Colombia, southwest of Bogotá.",
        "A river in Colombia which flows by the city."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "2b679881ad7722e933a404214f37f644736e703923df2f78346a5c785103e664",
      "rawRecordSha256": "6086c0176470519fb1b9b8d4f8f9d743b114d3e4f97f370b65bcbf2229da9c59",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 186557
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Cali →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Q2FsaQ