poppadom

Where does the word "poppadom" come from? It comes from Tamil pappadam, and was adopted directly into English (1900s).

Poppadom’s story begins in Tamil: pappadam meant “a lentil wafer.” A thin, crisp fried or roasted lentil wafer. It reached English by 1900s as poppadom. Tamil 'pappaṭam'; served before meals in British Indian restaurants. Today, poppadom means a thin, crisp wafer made from lentil or rice flour, fried or roasted.

1. Stage 1 · Tamil · medieval pappadam "a lentil wafer", a thin, crisp fried or roasted lentil wafer.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1900s poppadom "a thin, crisp fried wafer", Tamil 'pappaṭam'; served before meals in British Indian restaurants.