tortilla

Where does the word "tortilla" come from? It comes from Spanish torta, passing through Mexican Spanish before entering English (1690s).

Tortilla’s story begins in Spanish: torta meant “cake.” A round cake, from Late Latin. By 1500s, the word had taken hold in Mexican Spanish as tortilla. 'little cake': the Spanish name for the Aztec maize flatbread, 'tlaxcalli'. It reached English by 1690s as tortilla. In Spain a 'tortilla' is instead a potato omelette. Today, tortilla means a thin flat round of unleavened maize or wheat bread.

1. Stage 1 · Spanish · medieval torta "cake", a round cake, from Late Latin.
2. Stage 2 · Mexican Spanish · 1500s tortilla "maize flatbread", 'little cake': the Spanish name for the Aztec maize flatbread, 'tlaxcalli'.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1690s tortilla "flatbread", in Spain a 'tortilla' is instead a potato omelette.