From: Rick McCallister
Message: 66332
Date: 2010-07-16
Here's a mystery word (or words). The only indigenous language in this whole area was Nahuatl/Nawat and the word doesn't look like it from that pair of closely related languages. I couldn't find anything else in the DRAE but I wonder if there is an Ibero-Romance word like *toncar/*tuncar "to cut, (vel sim)" that survives in Portuguese, Galician, etc. Words tend to flow from Mexico to Central America and Mexican Spanish was influence by Portuguese and Galician.
tunco1. 1. m. El Salv., Hond. y Méx. cerdo (‖ mamífero artiodáctilo). tunco2, ca. 1. adj. El Salv., Guat., Hond., Méx. y Nic. Mutilado de algún miembro. Hombre tunco. Yegua tunca. 2. adj. El Salv. corto (‖ que no tiene la extensión que le corresponde). Ese vestido te queda tunco.