Tortillas
/tɔːrˈtiː.jəz/noun
Tortillas are thin, round, usually unleavened flatbreads made from corn or wheat.
Did you know?Spanish tortilla can mean either a flatbread in much of the Americas or a potato-and-egg omelet in Spain, showing how one word developed regionally divergent foods.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*terk-
“To twist or turn; the reconstructed root associated with later Latin forms involving twisting.”
Classical Latin
Latin
torquēre
“To twist, turn, or wrench.”
Classical Latin
Latin
tortus
“Twisted; the past participle of torquēre.”
Late Latin
Latin
torta
“A round loaf or cake, the feminine form of tortus.”
Medieval Spanish
Spanish
torta
“A round cake or flat, round bread.”
16th–17th Century
Spanish
tortilla
“A small cake or little round bread; the diminutive of torta.”
Modern English
English
tortillas
“Plural of tortilla: thin, round flatbreads, especially those made from corn or wheat.”