ENGLISH
REFERENCE

burrito

n. countable
A2 Elementary US //bɝˈitoʊ// UK //bʌɹˈiːtəʊ// bur·ri·to Slang

n. a Mexican dish made of a soft flour tortilla rolled around a filling like beans, meat, or cheese.

n. a Mexican culinary preparation consisting of a flour tortilla wrapped into a sealed cylindrical shape around various fillings. Often contrasted with a taco, which typically uses a smaller, folded corn tortilla.


SIMPLE

I usually order a bean and cheese burrito for lunch.

CONTEXTUAL

The local food truck is famous for its breakfast burrito, which is packed with eggs, spicy sausage, and potatoes.

COMPLEX

While traditional versions are often simpler, the modern mission-style burrito is characterized by its large size and inclusion of rice, beans, and various salsas all tightly wrapped in foil.

Origin

Borrowed from Spanish burrito, diminutive of burro (“donkey”), from burrico (“donkey”), from Latin burricus (“small horse”), from burrus (“red-brown”), from Ancient Greek πυρρός (purrhós, “flame-colored”), from πῦρ (pûr, “fire”). The food is so called because of its resemblance to a rolled up pack as typically carried by donkeys, making it an example of synecdoche.

Usage

Commonly paired with 'wrap' or 'roll' when describing the preparation process.

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