The Spanish verb 'azotar' (to whip) comes from the Spanish noun 'azote' (whip) combined with the verbal suffix '-ar'. The noun 'azote' itself can be traced back to Andalusi Arabic 'as-sawṭ' meaning 'the whip', which ultimately derives from Classical Arabic 'sawṭ' (whip). This is one of many Spanish words that entered the language during the centuries of Muslim rule in the Iberian Peninsula (711-1492).

The transformation from Arabic 'sawṭ' to Spanish 'azote' shows typical patterns of Arabic loanwords in Spanish: the Arabic article 'as-' was absorbed into the word (similar to how English 'algebra' comes from Arabic 'al-jabr'), and the Arabic 'ṭ' sound became 't' in Spanish.

The noun 'azote' (whip) is a simpler and more basic Spanish word related to 'azotar'. While 'azote' refers to the physical object (the whip), 'azotar' is the action verb formed from it, meaning 'to whip' or 'to lash'.

While English doesn't have any direct cognates from the Arabic 'sawṭ', it's worth noting that both English and Spanish borrowed many words from Arabic during the Middle Ages. Some English words from Arabic that relate to punishment or force include 'racket' (from Arabic 'rāḥa') and 'saker' (a type of falcon, from Arabic 'ṣaqr').