arepa
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of arepa
First recorded in 1920–25; from Carib arepa, erepa “corn, cornmeal, cornmeal cake”
Explanation
An arepa is a South American flatbread made of finely-ground cornmeal. Crispy on the outside and soft inside, arepas are often filled with cheese, meat, avocado, or beans. An arepa looks a little like an English muffin — it's a corn cake that's commonly eaten with meals or as a snack in Columbia and Venezuela. Arepas can also be split in half and made into a savory sandwich, or deep fried with egg or other fillings inside. The word arepa is borrowed from the Cumanagoto erepa, "corn" or "cornbread."
Vocabulary lists containing arepa
5th Grade World Cuisine, List 2
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The Sunbearer Trials
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The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In Florida, 90 minutes south of Mar-a-Lago, a jubilant crowd gathered outside an arepa restaurant, honking horns, cheering and waving Venezuelan and American flags.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 4, 2026
I usually eat it plain, but it's great over rice, in salads, in tacos, alongside tostones or platanos, atop an arepa, or however else you might want to enjoy it.
From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2024
Is there a recipe in the book that you think is ideal for an arepa novice?
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2023
We are eagerly working on a long awaited arepa bar next to Alma, opening in the Fall.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2023
A moment later he returned with the priest’s breakfast––two fried eggs, a hot corn arepa, fried platanos, dried fish, and coffee sweetened with panela.
From Carmen Ariza by Charles Francis Stocking
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
