'amate' originates from the Nahuatl language, specifically the word 'amatl,' where 'ama-' meant 'paper' and '-tl' was a suffix.

'amatl' transformed into the Spanish word 'amate,' and eventually became the modern English word 'amate' through cultural exchanges.

Initially, it meant 'paper made from bark,' but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'a type of traditional Mexican paper.'