paratha

Where does the word "paratha" come from? It comes from Hindi atta + parat, passing through Hindi before entering English (1909).

Paratha’s story begins in Hindi: atta + parat meant “layered dough.” Combined 'flour, dough' and 'layer' to describe a folded flatbread. Within Hindi, it grew into paratha by 1900s. The fused form became the name of the dish itself. It reached English by 1909 as paratha. A layered, ghee-rich bread from Punjab, eaten for breakfast with yoghurt or pickle. Today, paratha means a flaky, pan-fried, layered flatbread from the Indian subcontinent.

1. Stage 1 · Hindi · medieval atta + parat "layered dough", combined 'flour, dough' and 'layer' to describe a folded flatbread.
2. Stage 2 · Hindi · 1900s paratha "a pan-fried layered flatbread", the fused form became the name of the dish itself.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1909 paratha "a flaky, pan-fried layered flatbread", a layered, ghee-rich bread from Punjab, eaten for breakfast with yoghurt or pickle.