Where does “taco” come from?

Taco comes from Spanish taco, from Old French tache, from Proto-Germanic taikną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European deyḱ-, meaning to show or point.

taco (English): A Mexican snack food made of a small tortilla (soft- or hard-shelled) filled with ingredients such as meat, rice, beans, cheese, diced vegetables and salsa

Definitions

  1. A Mexican snack food made of a small tortilla (soft- or hard-shelled) filled with ingredients such as meat, rice, beans, cheese, diced vegetables and salsa

Ancestry of “taco”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Spanishtacotaco; peg; dowel
2Italiantaccoheel; chock; first-person singular present...
3Italiantacconepatch; botch; hobnail
4Italiantaccanotch, nick; third-person singular present...
5Frankishtakkō
6Proto-Germanictakkôspike, thorn, prickle
7Proto-Indo-Europeandeǵ-to rip, tear

Words derived from “taco

Every word from Proto-Indo-European deǵ-