tortilla

American  

[tawr-tee-uh, tawr-tee-yah] / tɔrˈti ə, tɔrˈti jɑ /

noun

Mexican Cooking.

• tortillas
  plural

1. a thin, round, unleavened bread prepared from cornmeal or sometimes wheat flour, baked on a flat plate of iron, earthenware, or the like.

---

tortilla British  

/ tɔːˈtiːə /

noun

1. Mexican cookery a kind of thin pancake made from corn meal and cooked on a hot griddle until dry

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tortillas
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of tortilla

1690–1700; < Spanish, equivalent to tort ( a ) cake ( see torte) + -illa diminutive suffix < Latin -ella

---

Explanation

A tortilla is a Central American and Mexican type of flatbread. A burrito is a mix of delicious fillings — like seasoned rice, chicken, beans, guacamole, and salsa — wrapped in a warm tortilla. Yum! Traditional tortillas are sort of like very flat pancakes made from cornmeal. Tortillas made of wheat flour are a newer variation. Corn tortillas have been a staple food in North and Central America for hundreds of years, long before Europeans began settling in the area. In Spanish, tortilla means "a tart" or "a little cake," from the Late Latin torta, or "flat cake."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tortilla tortillas

There’s something fitting about the tortilla anecdote in multicultural L.A., home to the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center — the $450-million, 200,000-square-foot expansion to the California Science Center — which now houses Endeavour.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

The air smelled perpetually of tortilla chips, and the soundtrack was an agreeable mixture of Matchbox Twenty and sizzling fajita platters.

From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026

The most concerning product that CR tested in terms of glycidyl esters was Takis Fuego tortilla chips.

From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026

“I can eat a tortilla any time of the day. So, perfect for me.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

In seconds the tortilla dried and puffed up like a souffle.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Astronaut John Daniel “Danny” Olivas remembers his crews storing tortillas near the blue Velcro.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

It’s known forhouse-made corn tortillas, pan dulce and ceviches.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

For example, it might direct a shopper planning a taco night to all the ingredients, from tortillas to cheese to vegetables, which they might otherwise leave behind.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Flautas are a traditional Mexican dish made by rolling large tortillas generously filled with shredded chicken or beef, then deep-frying them.

From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026

She took a lot longer than usual to make the tortillas and the lunches.

From "The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child" by Francisco Jiménez

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---