tapas

Where does the word "tapas" come from? It comes from Spanish tapa, and was adopted directly into English (1900s).

Tapas’s story begins in Spanish: tapa meant “a lid, a cover.” Literally a lid or cover, since a small snack was once placed atop a drink to keep out flies. It reached English by 1900s as tapas. Spanish 'lids', perhaps from bread slices placed over glasses to keep out flies. Today, tapas means a variety of small savory Spanish dishes, typically served together.

1. Stage 1 · Spanish · 1800s tapa "a lid, a cover", literally a lid or cover, since a small snack was once placed atop a drink to keep out flies.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1900s tapas "small savory Spanish dishes, often shared", Spanish 'lids', perhaps from bread slices placed over glasses to keep out flies.