churrasco

[ chuh-ras-koh; Spanish choor-rahs-kaw ]

noun

, Latin-American Cooking.

, plural chur·ras·cos [ch, uh, -, ras, -kohz, choo, r, -, rahs, -kaws]

1. meat cooked over an open fire.
2. a large piece of meat suitable for barbecuing.

Word History and Origins

Origin of churrasco¹

First recorded in 1915–20; from Brazilian Portuguese, Latin American Spanish (Argentina, Uruguay); compare dialectal Spanish (Salamanca region) churrusco “piece of burnt toast,” churruscar “to begin to burn,” Spanish socarrar “to scorch, singe,” all from a pre-Latin etymon