tapas
[tuhp-uh s]
- the conditioning of the body through the proper kinds and amounts of diet, rest, bodily training, meditation, etc., to bring it to the greatest possible state of creative power.
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Origin of tapas
1930–35; < Sanskrit: penance, literally, heat
tapa1
[tah-pah]
- (especially in Spain) a snack or appetizer, typically served with wine or beer.
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Origin of tapa1
tapa2
[tah-puh, tap-uh]
- the bark of the paper mulberry.
- Also called tapa cloth. a cloth of the Pacific islands made by pounding this or similar barks flat and thin, used for clothing and floor covering.
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Origin of tapa2
Borrowed into English from Polynesian around 1815–25
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for tapas
Contemporary Examples
She and her father once owned a successful Spanish tapas restaurant in central Athens, but it went bankrupt in 2010.
Along with describing his farm-fresh ingredients and “figs at the peak of their ripeness” on his track “Tapas.”
Doug Tiller (the original Morning Glory, Mercury Espresso) is behind the 40-seat tapas lounge.
Tapas, the epitome of Spanish culinary sophistication, is the way to go.
Not all tapas need to be served warm, and Tortilla Española is proof.
Historical Examples
This was the way of Tapas, or self-inflicted bodily pain and austerity.
Buddhism, In its Connexion With Brahmanism and Hinduism, and In Its Contrast with ChristianitySir Monier Monier-Williams
The clouds are her tapas in the sky, on which she places stones to hold them down.
The Spell of the Hawaiian Islands and the PhilippinesIsabel Anderson
Bodily asceticism of this kind is known to the Vedas under the name of tapas.
A History of Sanskrit LiteratureArthur A. MacDonell
Tapas at the Cafe de Paris are apt to be potato salad, a few anchovies, olives, and possibly some cheese.
I'm a Stranger Here MyselfDallas McCord Reynolds
Ere long he returned with Tapas, the sun god having declared that Varanasi would be a worthy husband for his daughter.
Indian Myth and LegendDonald Alexander Mackenzie
tapas
- light snacks or appetizers, usually eaten with drinks
- (as modifier)a tapas bar
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Word Origin
from Spanish tapa cover, lid
tapa
- the inner bark of the paper mulberry
- a paper-like cloth made from this in the Pacific islands
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Word Origin
C19: from Marquesan and Tahitian
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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