The state's name appears to originate from an earlier Spanish name, Arizonac, derived from the O'odham name alĭ ṣonak, meaning "small spring," which initially applied only to an area near the silver mining camp of Planchas de Plata, Sonora [REF].
There is a misconception that the state's name originated from the Spanish term Árida Zona ("Arid Zone") [REF].