The Spanish verb 'tragar' (to swallow) traces its origins back through Latin to Ancient Greek. It comes from the Latin verb 'tragare' meaning 'to swallow', which itself was borrowed from the Ancient Greek 'τράγω' (trago), meaning 'to eat' or 'devour'. The evolution from the Greek meaning of 'eating/devouring' to the more specific Latin and Spanish meaning of 'swallowing' shows a natural semantic narrowing of the word's meaning over time.

Some related Spanish words include 'trago' (a drink or sip), 'tragón' (glutton), and 'tragaderas' (gullet). These words all share the basic concept of swallowing or consuming something. For example, when someone asks for 'un trago', they're literally asking for 'a swallow' of a drink.

While English doesn't have many common words directly related to 'tragar', the word 'tragedy' shares the same Greek root, though through a different semantic path. The Greek word 'tragos' meant 'goat', and early Greek tragic plays often featured actors wearing goatskins, leading to the term 'tragedy'. This might seem quite different from 'swallowing', but both words trace back to Ancient Greek, showing how word meanings can evolve in very different directions over time.