The Spanish verb 'listar' (to list) comes from the Spanish noun 'lista' (list) combined with the verbal suffix '-ar'. The noun 'lista' itself traces back to the Germanic word 'lîsta', which meant 'border' or 'strip'. This semantic evolution from 'border/strip' to 'list' likely occurred because early lists were written as long strips or columns of text with clear borders.

A simpler and more common related Spanish word is 'lista' (list, roll), which is the noun form that 'listar' is derived from. You might also encounter 'listado' (listing, printed list), which is the past participle of 'listar' used as a noun.

The English word 'list' is closely related to the Spanish 'listar', as both ultimately come from the same Germanic root 'lîsta'. While the Spanish word developed into a verb meaning 'to list', English maintained both the noun 'list' (similar to Spanish 'lista') and later developed its own verb 'to list'. The English word 'listel' (a narrow strip or band in architecture) also comes from this same root and preserves more of the original 'strip/border' meaning.