the english word 'tamale' is a direct borrowing from mexican spanish 'tamal'. the spanish term itself originates from the nahuatl (aztec) word 'tamalli', which referred to this specific type of steamed dough dish. the alteration to 'tamale' in english is based on a mistaken back-formation from the spanish plural 'tamales', making it an example of a loanword that has been slightly reshaped by the borrowing language. it entered american english in the 19th century, retaining its core meaning as a traditional mesoamerican food.

the word is a simplex loanword from mexican spanish. it does not contain separable morphemes within its current english spelling.