Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·Spanish ·1930s
Burrito
from burrito
- Meaning
- A Mexican dish of filling wrapped in a flour tortilla.
- Source word
- burrito
- Route into English
- Mexican Spanish *burrito* ("little donkey," diminutive of *burro*) → English via 20th-century Tex-Mex and California cuisine. The name's origin is disputed — possibly because the bundled shape resembles a donkey's pack.
- Arrived
- 1930s
From Spanish
American Spanish, not peninsular Spanish, provided most of the modern loanwords — through US expansion westward and Latin American trade.
English borrows.
Browse the full loanword atlas or explore another source language.