arepa

Where does the word "arepa" come from? It comes from Cumanagoto erepa, passing through Spanish before entering English (1900s).

Arepa’s story begins in Cumanagoto: erepa meant “a cornmeal cake.” A word from an indigenous language of Venezuela for a cornmeal cake. By 1600s, the word had taken hold in Spanish as arepa. Spanish chroniclers recorded the bread among the Cumanagoto of the Venezuelan coast. It reached English by 1900s as arepa. Spread through Venezuelan and Colombian diaspora restaurants in US cities. Today, arepa means a round, grilled or baked cornmeal cake from Venezuela and Colombia.

1. Stage 1 · Cumanagoto · medieval erepa "a cornmeal cake", a word from an indigenous language of Venezuela for a cornmeal cake.
2. Stage 2 · Spanish · 1600s arepa "a grilled or baked cornmeal cake", Spanish chroniclers recorded the bread among the Cumanagoto of the Venezuelan coast.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1900s arepa "a grilled or baked cornmeal cake", spread through Venezuelan and Colombian diaspora restaurants in US cities.