The Spanish word 'gorda' (feminine form of 'gordo') meaning 'fat' comes from the Latin word 'gurdus', which meant 'heavy, thick, or clumsy'. Over time, as Latin evolved into Spanish, the meaning narrowed specifically to describe fatness or thickness, and the pronunciation shifted from 'gurdus' to 'gordo/gorda'.

This is a common adjective in Spanish, with 'gordo' being used for masculine nouns and 'gorda' for feminine nouns, following Spanish's grammatical gender rules.

The masculine form 'gordo' is very closely related, being simply the masculine version of the same adjective. You might also encounter words like 'gordura' (fatness) or 'engordar' (to fatten), which are derived from the same root.

While there aren't any common English words directly related to 'gorda', it might help to remember that both 'gorda' and the English word 'gross' (when referring to bulk or size) share a similar concept of heaviness or thickness, though they're not etymologically related. The Latin 'gurdus' was considered a colloquial or rustic term and didn't pass into English.