The Spanish word 'blindado' meaning 'armored' has an interesting journey through Germanic and French origins. It starts with the Germanic word 'blenden' meaning 'to blind.' This word was adopted into French as 'blinder' where it took on the meaning 'to armor' - likely because armor protects or 'blinds' against attacks. The word then made its way into Spanish as the verb 'blindar' (to armor), and with the past participle suffix '-ado,' it became 'blindado' (armored).

The semantic shift from 'blind' to 'armor' makes intuitive sense when you think about how armor blocks or 'blinds' incoming attacks, similar to how being blind blocks one's vision.

A simpler related Spanish word is the verb 'blindar' which means 'to armor' or 'to shield.' This is the base verb from which 'blindado' is derived as its past participle form. You might hear 'blindar' in contexts like 'blindar un coche' (to armor a car) or 'blindar una puerta' (to reinforce a door).

While not directly related through the same etymological path, the English word 'blind' comes from the same Germanic root 'blenden.' While 'blind' maintained its original meaning related to vision in English, its Spanish cousin 'blindado' evolved to refer to protective armor. This connection can help English speakers remember that 'blindado' has to do with blocking or protecting against something, just as being blind blocks vision.