The Spanish word 'simpático', meaning 'likeable' or 'nice', has its roots in ancient Greek. It comes from combining two Greek elements: 'syn-' meaning 'with' or 'together', and 'pathos' meaning 'feeling' or 'suffering'. These combined to form 'sympatheia' meaning 'fellow-feeling' in Greek.

This word was borrowed into Latin as 'sympathia', keeping a similar meaning of 'sympathy'. It then evolved into Spanish 'simpatía' (sympathy), and with the addition of the adjectival suffix '-ico', it became 'simpático', describing someone who is pleasant, agreeable, or nice - essentially someone who easily evokes sympathy or good feelings in others.

A simpler related Spanish word is 'simpatía', meaning 'sympathy' or 'kindness'. While 'simpatía' refers to the feeling or quality of sympathy itself, 'simpático' describes a person or thing that possesses or inspires this quality.

English speakers can easily connect 'simpático' with the English word 'sympathy' and its adjective form 'sympathetic'. While the English words maintain more of the original meaning of sharing feelings or showing compassion, the Spanish 'simpático' has evolved to describe a more general pleasantness or likeability. You can also recognize the same Greek roots in English words like 'empathy' and 'pathetic', which also relate to feelings or emotions.