nachos

Where does the word "nachos" come from? It comes from Mexican Spanish Nacho, and was adopted directly into English (1950s).

Nachos’s story begins in Mexican Spanish: Nacho meant “Nacho (a nickname).” The nickname of Ignacio Anaya, who invented the snack at a restaurant in Piedras Negras for visiting American officers' wives. It reached English by 1950s as nachos. Spread through Texas and became a stadium food in the 1970s. Today, nachos means tortilla chips topped with melted cheese and chillies.

1. Stage 1 · Mexican Spanish · 1943 Nacho "Nacho (a nickname)", the nickname of Ignacio Anaya, who invented the snack at a restaurant in Piedras Negras for visiting American officers' wives.
2. Stage 2 · American English · 1950s nachos "cheese-topped chips", spread through Texas and became a stadium food in the 1970s.