pita

¹ American  

[pee-tuh] / ˈpi tə /

noun

1. a round Middle Eastern flatbread that is often filled with meat, peppers, etc., to make a sandwich.

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pita ² American  

[pee-tuh] / ˈpi tə /

noun

1. a fiber obtained from plants of the genera Agave, Aechmea, etc., used for cordage, mats, etc.

2. any of these plants.

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pita British  

/ ˈpiːtə /

noun

1. any of several agave plants yielding a strong fibre See also istle

2. a species of pineapple, Ananas magdalenae, the leaves of which yield a white fibre

3. Also called: pita fibre.  the fibre obtained from any of these plants, used in making cordage and paper

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Etymology

Origin of pita¹

First recorded in 1935–40; from Modern Greek pḗtta, pítta, píta “bread, cake, pie”; further origin uncertain; perhaps from Greek peptós “cooked, baked”; perhaps from Modern Hebrew pittāh, pitāh, from Balkan Ladino pita “flat bread”; perhaps from Germanic, akin to Old High German bizzo, pizzo “bite, morsel”

Origin of pita²

First recorded in 1690–1700; from Latin American Spanish, from Quechua pita or Aymara p’ita