tapas
n.n. small plates of food that you share with friends while drinking. You usually find them in Spanish restaurants.
n. small portions of food served as appetizers or snacks, typically shared among several people. Often associated with Spanish and Portuguese culinary traditions.
We ordered several plates of tapas and shared them with our friends.
The restaurant offers a wide variety of tapas, ranging from traditional olives to modern seafood dishes.
The evening began with a selection of tapas, allowing the guests to sample the chef's diverse influences before the main course was served.
From Spanish tapas, the plural of tapa (“appetizer, tapa; cap, lid (cover of a container)”) (from the fact that plates of tapas were originally placed on the tops of glasses of alcoholic beverages as lids), from Gothic 𐍄𐌰𐍀𐍀𐌰 (tappa), from Proto-Germanic tappô (“plug; tap”), from Proto-Indo-European deh₂p- (“to lose; to sacrifice”). Doublet of tap.
From Sanskrit तप् (tap, “heat; to be hot”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tep- (“to be warm or hot”). Related to tepid.
From tapa + -s.