The Spanish word 'garrapata' (meaning 'tick') has an interesting journey from Basque origins. It comes from the Basque word 'kaparra' which meant 'bramble'. This word was borrowed into Spanish as 'caparra', keeping the meaning of 'tick'. The word then likely went through an intermediate form '*gaparrata' before evolving into the modern Spanish 'garrapata'.

The semantic shift from 'bramble' to 'tick' makes intuitive sense, as ticks are often found in thorny, brushy vegetation, similar to brambles. The phonetic changes involved the voicing of the initial 'k' to 'g' and the addition of the diminutive-like ending '-ata', which is a common pattern in Spanish word formation.

While 'garrapata' is the standard modern Spanish word for 'tick', its older form 'caparra' can still be found in some Spanish dialects and regional varieties, though it's less common.

Since 'garrapata' comes from Basque rather than Latin or Greek roots, there aren't any closely related English words. English speakers might find it easier to remember this word by thinking of how ticks 'grab' onto their hosts, as the sound 'garra-' might remind one of 'grab', even though these words aren't actually related.