The Spanish word 'jícara', meaning 'small cup', comes from the Nahuatl (Aztec) word 'xicalli', which referred to a vessel made from a gourd. This is one of many words that Spanish borrowed from the indigenous languages of the Americas after colonization. The transformation from 'xicalli' to 'jícara' shows typical sound changes that occurred when Nahuatl words were adapted into Spanish, with the 'x' becoming 'j' and the final '-lli' shifting to '-ra'.

Since 'jícara' comes from Nahuatl rather than Latin or Greek roots, there aren't many etymologically related simpler Spanish words. However, you might encounter variations like 'jicarita' (little cup) or 'jicaron' (large cup), which are Spanish diminutive and augmentative forms of 'jícara'.

There aren't any etymologically related English words since 'jícara' comes from Nahuatl. However, English has borrowed some other Nahuatl words related to food and drink, such as 'chocolate' (from 'xocolatl') and 'tomato' (from 'tomatl').