quesadilla
Americannoun
plural
quesadillasnoun
Etymology
Origin of quesadilla
First recorded in 1940–45; from Mexican Spanish; Spanish: “a pastry or cake made with cheese,” equivalent to quesada ( queso “cheese,” from Latin cāseus; cf. cheese 1 + -ada noun suffix) + -illa diminutive suffix; see -ade 1
Explanation
Next time you go to a Mexican restaurant, you might want to order a quesadilla, a grilled tortilla filled with melty cheese. Quesadillas come on flour or corn tortillas, which are loaded with cheese and sometimes vegetables or meat, and cooked over high heat. In Mexico, a quesadilla is traditionally made with Oaxaca cheese inside a folded corn tortilla, which is grilled without oil and served with salsa. There are many variations of this popular dish. Quesadilla comes from the Spanish queso, "cheese."
Vocabulary lists containing quesadilla
World Cuisine - Introductory
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World Cuisine - Middle School and High School
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Cheesy Goodness
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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.
On Matthews’s morning in the lab this summer, developers were picking the right cheese combination for a quesadilla with poblano pepper and steak, which launched this past Thursday as an LTO.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 22, 2025
A truly decadent mix of grilled chicken, cheese, tomatoes, corn salsa, and tortilla strips, tossed in citrus-balsamic and topped — because why not — with actual cheese quesadilla wedges.
From Salon • May 19, 2025
For instance, substituting "pastry" for "quesadilla" could significantly affect comprehension for students from diverse backgrounds.
From Science Daily • Apr. 29, 2024
My Taco Bell aficionado opined that the flavor here more closely resembles the chain’s chicken quesadilla, which features a three-cheese blend and a creamy jalapeño sauce.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 5, 2023
I bit into my quesadilla, wondering if this would be too much work for a group with zero experience.
From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez
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.
