Taco Shell
/ˈtæk.oʊ ʃɛl/noun
A crisp, curved tortilla used to hold fillings in a taco.
Did you know?The origin of Spanish taco is debated, but historical Mexican usage included “taco” for a plug or wad, while one theory connects it with miners’ paper-wrapped explosive charges.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*skel-
“To cut or split; a proposed ancestral root behind several words for coverings and hard outer forms.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skaljō
“A shell, husk, or covering; the source of Germanic words related to shell and scale.”
Old English
Old English
scell
“A shell or husk, especially a hard outer covering.”
18th Century
Mexican Spanish
taco
“A plug, wad, or small wrapped bundle; the food sense developed in Mexican Spanish, though its exact origin remains disputed.”
20th Century
English
taco shell
“An English compound referring to the crisp, usually folded or molded tortilla casing used for tacos.”