The Spanish word 'picota' (meaning 'pillory' - a wooden framework with holes for securing a person's head and hands, used as a form of punishment) comes from the Spanish word 'pico' (meaning 'beak' or 'peak') combined with the augmentative/pejorative suffix '-ota'. The word 'pico' itself derives from Latin 'picus' meaning 'woodpecker'.

The semantic evolution from woodpecker to pillory can be understood through the connection of pointed or peaked shapes - a woodpecker's beak is pointed, and a pillory featured prominent wooden posts that stuck up from the ground. The augmentative suffix '-ota' adds to this idea of something large and imposing.

A simpler and more common related Spanish word is 'pico', meaning 'beak' or 'peak'. This word is much more frequently used in everyday Spanish and can help you remember 'picota' by thinking of the pointed shape that both concepts share - a bird's beak and the pointed posts of a pillory.

While English doesn't have any direct cognates from the Latin 'picus', we do have the word 'woodpecker' which is the literal meaning of the Latin root. The word 'peak', while not etymologically related, can be a helpful memory aid as it sounds similar to 'pico' and shares the concept of something pointed or projecting upward.