Etymology Map
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Tortilla

3 stages from Spanish to English.

Today it means a thin flat round of unleavened maize or wheat bread

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

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

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.