The Spanish word 'cabuya' comes directly from the Taíno word 'kabuja', which referred to the agave plant. Taíno was the principal language of the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean when Spanish colonizers arrived. The Spanish adopted this Native American term, maintaining its original meaning of 'agave plant' but also extending it to refer specifically to the fiber obtained from this plant. This is a great example of how Spanish incorporated words from indigenous American languages to describe local plants and materials that were new to European settlers.

Since 'cabuya' comes from Taíno, there aren't any simpler or more common Spanish words that share its etymology. This is typical of words that Spanish borrowed from indigenous American languages, as they often represent concepts or items that were new to Spanish speakers when they encountered them in the Americas.

There aren't any common English words directly related to 'cabuya', as it comes from Taíno. However, English has borrowed the word 'sisal' (from Yucatec Maya) to refer to similar plant fiber, showing how both English and Spanish sometimes borrowed words from indigenous American languages to describe New World plants and their products.