mascota
ES [masˈkota] · Spanish for “pet” · sounds like Czech maskot (a mascot)
A Czech hears mascota and reaches for maskot - the giant foam animal that fires T-shirts into the crowd at halftime. A Spaniard just means the pet asleep at home; mi mascota is my dog or my cat.
Both come from French mascotte, a lucky charm, which the 1880 operetta La Mascotte carried around Europe. Follow it back and it turns spooky: mascotte grows from Occitan masco, a witch, from Late Latin masca, a mask or spectre - a mascot is really a tamed little talisman. Czech kept maskot for the costumed good-luck figure that lopes around a stadium. Spanish widened it to the animal you keep for luck and company - your mascota, your pet (though Spanish still uses mascota for a team mascot too). Same charm, one worn as a giant foam suit, the other curled up on the sofa.