The Spanish verb 'pegar' has an interesting dual etymology that explains its two main meanings: 'to stick' and 'to hit'. It comes from two different Latin verbs that happened to have the same form 'picare'. The first Latin 'picare' meant 'to smear with pitch' and derived from 'pix' (meaning 'pitch' or 'tar'). The second Latin 'picare' meant 'to peck or strike repeatedly' and came from 'picus' (meaning 'woodpecker'). These two similar-sounding Latin words merged over time to give us the modern Spanish 'pegar' with its two distinct but common meanings.

Some related Spanish words include 'pegamento' (glue), 'pegajoso' (sticky), and 'pegada' (hit, punch). These words all derive from 'pegar' and clearly show the dual meaning inheritance - some relating to adhesion and others to striking.

The English word 'pitch' (as in tar or resin) is related to the 'sticking' meaning of 'pegar', as they both trace back to the Latin 'pix'. The English word 'woodpecker' is conceptually related to the 'hitting' meaning of 'pegar', as both trace back to the idea of repeated striking or pecking, though they developed through different paths.