The Spanish word 'empalagoso', meaning 'cloying' or 'sickly sweet', has an interesting connection to the sea! It comes from the Spanish verb 'empalagar' (meaning 'to cloy' or 'satiate'), which was formed from the Latin prefix 'in-' (meaning 'in' or 'into') combined with the Latin word 'pelagus' (meaning 'sea' or 'ocean'). 'Pelagus' itself was borrowed from the Ancient Greek word 'πέλαγος' (pelagos), also meaning 'sea' or 'ocean'.

The modern Spanish adjective adds the suffix '-oso' (meaning 'full of') to 'empalagar'. The semantic evolution from 'sea' to 'cloying' likely developed from the idea of being overwhelmed or saturated, much like being engulfed by the sea, which then specialized to refer specifically to an overwhelming sweetness or excessive pleasantness that becomes unpleasant.

A related and simpler Spanish word is 'empalagar' (the verb form), which means 'to cloy' or 'to make sick from too much sweetness'. If something 'empalaga', it means it's so sweet or rich that it becomes overwhelming or unpleasant.

While English doesn't have direct cognates of 'empalagoso', we do have some words that share the Greek root 'pelagos': 'pelagic' (relating to the open sea), 'archipelago' (a sea containing many islands), and 'Pelage' (referring to a marine animal's coat). These words all maintained their connection to the original meaning of 'sea', unlike the Spanish word which developed in a more metaphorical direction.