tortilla

noun

tor·​ti·​lla tȯr-ˈtē-yə 

: a thin round of unleavened cornmeal or wheat flour bread usually eaten hot with a topping or filling (as of ground meat or cheese)

Examples of tortilla in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Pile onto a large whole grain flour tortilla and wrap. —Katie Sullivan Morford, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 July 2025

It can also be used to steam vegetables or dumplings or to warm tortillas. —Bestreviews, Mercury News, 15 July 2025

Serve the steak warm with peppers, onions and warm tortillas. —Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 14 July 2025

Top with 2 tablespoons of mushroom-onion mixture, and fold tortilla in half. —Sabrina Weiss, People.com, 5 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from American Spanish (Mexico, Central America, parts of the Caribbean and South America), from Spanish, diminutive of torta "cake, pastry," going back to Late Latin tōrta "round loaf of bread" — more at tart entry 2

First Known Use

1648, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing tortilla

• tortilla chip

Rhymes for tortilla

• aliya
• aliyah
• althea
• apnoea
• coffea
• dyspnea
• dyspnoea
• hosea
• idea
• kshatriya
• maria
• medea

Kids Definition

tortilla

noun

tor·​ti·​lla tȯr-ˈtē-(y)ə 

: a thin round of unleavened cornmeal or wheat flour bread

Etymology

American Spanish, literally "little cake," from Spanish torta "cake"