The Spanish word 'bastón' comes from Medieval Latin 'bastum', meaning 'staff' or 'stick', combined with the Spanish augmentative suffix '-ón'. The augmentative suffix '-ón' typically indicates something larger or more substantial, so 'bastón' literally translates to something like 'large stick', which evolved to specifically mean a 'walking stick' or 'cane' in modern Spanish.

A related Spanish word is 'basto', which means 'coarse' or 'rough'. While 'bastón' took on the specific meaning of a walking stick, 'basto' retained more of the basic quality of something crude or unrefined, perhaps reflecting the original nature of a simple wooden staff.

The English word 'baste' (as in basting a turkey) is believed to share the same Medieval Latin root. While it might seem quite different from 'bastón', the connection becomes clearer when you consider that basting originally referred to beating or striking with a stick (as in tenderizing meat), before it evolved to mean moistening meat while cooking. Another related English word is 'baston', though it's rather rare and archaic, meaning a staff or club, especially in heraldry.