The Spanish word 'pajita' (meaning 'drinking straw') comes from the Spanish word 'paja' (meaning 'straw') combined with the diminutive suffix '-ita'. The word 'paja' itself derives from the Latin word 'palea', which meant 'straw' or 'chaff'. The modern meaning of 'pajita' as specifically a drinking straw makes sense when you consider it literally means 'little straw' - reflecting how drinking straws were historically made from actual pieces of straw or were similar in shape to pieces of straw.

The most obvious related Spanish word is 'paja', meaning 'straw' or 'hay'. This is the base word from which 'pajita' is formed. While 'paja' refers to straw in general, 'pajita' specifically came to mean the drinking straw through the addition of the diminutive suffix.

While English 'pallet' and 'palliasse' (a straw mattress) come from the same Latin root 'palea', they're not as commonly used in modern English. The connection between these words and 'pajita' is that they all relate to straw or straw-like materials - 'palliasse' being a mattress stuffed with straw, and 'pallet' originally referring to a bed of straw.