lumpia

Where does the word "lumpia" come from? It comes from Hokkien Chinese lunpia, passing through Filipino before entering English (1900s).

Lumpia’s story begins in Hokkien Chinese: lunpia meant “a spring roll.” A thin pastry wrapper rolled around a savory filling. By 1600s, the word had taken hold in Filipino as lumpia. Hokkien traders brought spring rolls to Manila. It reached English by 1900s as lumpia. The Hokkien parts 'lun' and 'pia' mean soft or moist, and cake or pastry. Today, lumpia means a Filipino spring roll, filled with vegetables or meat and fried or served fresh.

1. Stage 1 · Hokkien Chinese · medieval lunpia "a spring roll", a thin pastry wrapper rolled around a savory filling.
2. Stage 2 · Filipino · 1600s lumpia "a Filipino-style spring roll", Hokkien traders brought spring rolls to Manila.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1900s lumpia "a Filipino spring roll", the Hokkien parts 'lun' and 'pia' mean soft or moist, and cake or pastry.