Etymograph

English

tapas

Tapas comes from Spanish tapa ‘appetizer, tapa’, from Proto-Germanic *tappô ‘plug’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deh₂p- ‘to lose’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deh₂p-‘to lose’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*tappô‘plug’reconstructed
  3. Gothicc. 300–600*tappatransliteratedGothic script *tappa, a transliterationreconstructed
  4. Old Spanishc. 950–1500tapa
  5. Spanishc. 1500–presentsame form‘appetizer, tapa’
  6. Spanish, derivedc. 1500–presenttapasplural of tapa
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1986same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deh₂p-‘to lose’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*tappô‘plug’reconstructed
  3. Gothicc. 300–600*tappatransliteratedGothic script *tappa, a transliterationreconstructed
  4. Old Spanishc. 950–1500tapa
  5. Spanishc. 1500–presentsame form‘appetizer, tapa’
  6. Spanish, derivedc. 1500–presenttapasplural of tapa
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1986same form

Earliest quotation: 1986, Jeff Smith, The Tapas Buffet (Spain): “The snacks are called tapas because in the old…”

The story

From Spanish tapas, the plural of tapa (‘appetizer, tapa; cap, lid (cover of a container)’) (from the fact that plates of tapas were originally placed on the tops of glasses of alcoholic beverages as lids), from Gothic *𐍄𐌰𐍀𐍀𐌰 (*tappa), from Proto-Germanic *tappô (‘plug; tap’), from Proto-Indo-European *deh₂p- (‘to lose; to sacrifice’).

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *deh₂p- ‘to lose’

damn, damage, condemn, indemnity, 8 more

through Proto-Germanic *tappô ‘plug’

tap, tampon, 2 more

Another origin of tapas

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tep-‘to be warm or hot’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Iranianc. 2500–1800 BCE*tap-reconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-Aryanprehistoric (reconstructed)same formreconstructed
  4. Sanskritc. 1500–500 BCEतप्tap‘heat’
  5. Englishtodaytapas

Today it means

noun A variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks such as croquettes, cured meat, potato salad, and seafood, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *deh₂p- / tapas

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