The Spanish word 'pacaya', which refers to an edible palm flower, comes directly from the Nahuatl (Aztec) word 'pacaya' meaning 'palm frond'. This represents a slight semantic shift from the general meaning of palm frond to specifically referring to the edible flowering part of certain palm species, particularly the Chamaedorea tepejilote palm that is native to Central America.

Since 'pacaya' comes from Nahuatl, there aren't any simpler or more common Spanish words that share its etymology. This is one of many words that Spanish acquired from indigenous American languages after the colonization of the Americas.

There aren't any common English words directly related to 'pacaya', as it comes from Nahuatl. While English has borrowed some Nahuatl words (like 'chocolate', 'tomato', and 'avocado'), 'pacaya' is not one of them. The palm flower is sometimes called 'pacaya' in English as well, but this is a direct borrowing from Spanish.