tapas

See also: tapás

English

WOTD – 12 October 2022

Etymology 1

A selection of tapas.

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.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈtæpæs/, /-pəs/

• Audio (Received Pronunciation):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈtæpəs/, /ˈtɑː-/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Audio (Northern California):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: tap‧as

Noun

tapas pl (normally plural, singular tapa)

1. A variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks such as croquettes, cured meat, potato salad, and seafood, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well.
   • 1986, Jeff Smith, “The Tapas Buffet (Spain)”, in The Frugal Gourmet Cooks with Wine, New York, N.Y.: William Morrow and Company, →ISBN, page 88:

     The snacks are called tapas because in the old days a piece of toast was served, too, so that you might have a "top" on your glass of sherry, a lid that would prevent the flies from getting into the glass.

   • 2013, Joyce Goldstein, “Introduction”, in Tapas: Sensational Small Plates from Spain, San Francisco, Calif.: Chronicle Books, →ISBN, page 8:

     Most food scholars agree that the tapas tradition originated in the wine-growing regions of Andalusia, eventually spreading throughout the country. The Moors (Muslim Arabs), who dominated Spain from the beginning of the eighth century until the end of the fifteenth century, settled in the same area, and their meze tradition undoubtedly had an influence on the rise of the tapa.

Usage notes

Tapas takes plural agreement when parsed as a group of small dishes, or singular agreement when parsed as a single order or set dish. Thus one can say:

Tapas are so tasty.

The Spanish restaurant’s tapas is so tasty.

Hypernyms

• small plates

Coordinate terms

• pintxos

Derived terms

• tapaslike

Translations

variety of Spanish small savoury food items or snacks, originally served with sherry and now often with other alcoholic beverages as well

• Armenian: տապաս (hy) (tapas)
• Bulgarian: тапас (tapas)
• Catalan: tapes (ca) f pl
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 塔帕斯 (tǎpàsī)

• Cyrillic: тапас
• Czech: tapas
• Danish: tapas
• Dutch: tapas (nl) f pl, tapa's (nl) f pl
• Finnish: tapas (fi)
• French: tapas (fr) f pl
• Galician: tapas f pl
• Georgian: ტაპასი (ṭaṗasi)
• Greek: μεζές (el) m (mezés)
• Hebrew: טאפס
• Hungarian: tapas
• Japanese: タパス
• Korean: 타파스 (tapaseu)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: tapas (no)

  Nynorsk: tapas

• Polish: tapas m
• Portuguese: tapas (pt) f pl, petiscos m pl
• Russian: та́пас (ru) (tápas)
• Spanish: tapas (es) f pl
• Swedish: tapas (sv)
• Ukrainian: та́пас (tápas)

Etymology 2

From Sanskrit तप् (tap, “heat; to be hot”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tep- (“to be warm or hot”). Related to tepid.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈtæpæs/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈtæpəs/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• (India) IPA^(key): /ˈθəpəs/
• Hyphenation: tap‧as

Noun

tapas (uncountable)

1. (Hinduism, Jainism) (The practice of) asceticism and self-discipline.

Translations

(the practice of) asceticism and self-discipline

• Bengali: তপস (topoś)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 苦行 (zh) (kǔxíng)

• Hindi: तप (hi) (tap)
• Japanese: 苦行 (ja) (くぎょう, kugyō)
• Kannada: ತಪಸ್ಸು (kn) (tapassu)
• Newar: तपः (tapa:)
• Odia: ତପସ୍ୟା (or) (tapasyā)
• Russian: та́пас (ru) (tápas)
• Sanskrit: तपः (sa) (tapaḥ)
• Tamil: தவம் (ta) (tavam)
• Telugu: తపస్సు (te) (tapassu)
• Thai: ตบะ
• Ukrainian: та́пас (tápas)

Etymology 3

Noun

tapas

1. plural of tapa

Further reading

• tapas on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• tapas (Indian religions) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• ataps, pasta, patas

Finnish

Etymology

From Spanish tapas.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɑpɑs/, [ˈt̪ɑ̝pɑ̝s̠]
• Rhymes: -ɑpɑs
• Hyphenation^(key): ta‧pas

Noun

tapas

1. An individual item of tapas; mostly used in plural.

   Mennään syömään tapaksia.

   Let's go and eat some tapas.

Declension

Inflection of tapas (Kotus type 39/vastaus, no gradation)
nominative		tapas	tapakset
genitive		tapaksen	tapasten tapaksien
partitive		tapasta	tapaksia
illative		tapakseen	tapaksiin
		singular	plural
nominative		tapas	tapakset
accusative	nom.	tapas	tapakset
	gen.	tapaksen
genitive		tapaksen	tapasten tapaksien
partitive		tapasta	tapaksia
inessive		tapaksessa	tapaksissa
elative		tapaksesta	tapaksista
illative		tapakseen	tapaksiin
adessive		tapaksella	tapaksilla
ablative		tapakselta	tapaksilta
allative		tapakselle	tapaksille
essive		tapaksena	tapaksina
translative		tapakseksi	tapaksiksi
abessive		tapaksetta	tapaksitta
instructive		—	tapaksin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of tapas (Kotus type 39/vastaus, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative tapakseni tapakseni accusative nom. tapakseni tapakseni gen. tapakseni genitive tapakseni tapasteni tapaksieni partitive tapastani tapaksiani inessive tapaksessani tapaksissani elative tapaksestani tapaksistani illative tapakseeni tapaksiini adessive tapaksellani tapaksillani ablative tapakseltani tapaksiltani allative tapakselleni tapaksilleni essive tapaksenani tapaksinani translative tapaksekseni tapaksikseni abessive tapaksettani tapaksittani instructive — — comitative — tapaksineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative tapaksesi tapaksesi accusative nom. tapaksesi tapaksesi gen. tapaksesi genitive tapaksesi tapastesi tapaksiesi partitive tapastasi tapaksiasi inessive tapaksessasi tapaksissasi elative tapaksestasi tapaksistasi illative tapakseesi tapaksiisi adessive tapaksellasi tapaksillasi ablative tapakseltasi tapaksiltasi allative tapaksellesi tapaksillesi essive tapaksenasi tapaksinasi translative tapakseksesi tapaksiksesi abessive tapaksettasi tapaksittasi instructive — — comitative — tapaksinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative tapaksemme tapaksemme accusative nom. tapaksemme tapaksemme gen. tapaksemme genitive tapaksemme tapastemme tapaksiemme partitive tapastamme tapaksiamme inessive tapaksessamme tapaksissamme elative tapaksestamme tapaksistamme illative tapakseemme tapaksiimme adessive tapaksellamme tapaksillamme ablative tapakseltamme tapaksiltamme allative tapaksellemme tapaksillemme essive tapaksenamme tapaksinamme translative tapakseksemme tapaksiksemme abessive tapaksettamme tapaksittamme instructive — — comitative — tapaksinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative tapaksenne tapaksenne accusative nom. tapaksenne tapaksenne gen. tapaksenne genitive tapaksenne tapastenne tapaksienne partitive tapastanne tapaksianne inessive tapaksessanne tapaksissanne elative tapaksestanne tapaksistanne illative tapakseenne tapaksiinne adessive tapaksellanne tapaksillanne ablative tapakseltanne tapaksiltanne allative tapaksellenne tapaksillenne essive tapaksenanne tapaksinanne translative tapakseksenne tapaksiksenne abessive tapaksettanne tapaksittanne instructive — — comitative — tapaksinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative tapaksensa tapaksensa accusative nom. tapaksensa tapaksensa gen. tapaksensa genitive tapaksensa tapastensa tapaksiensa partitive tapastaan tapastansa tapaksiaan tapaksiansa inessive tapaksessaan tapaksessansa tapaksissaan tapaksissansa elative tapaksestaan tapaksestansa tapaksistaan tapaksistansa illative tapakseensa tapaksiinsa adessive tapaksellaan tapaksellansa tapaksillaan tapaksillansa ablative tapakseltaan tapakseltansa tapaksiltaan tapaksiltansa allative tapakselleen tapaksellensa tapaksilleen tapaksillensa essive tapaksenaan tapaksenansa tapaksinaan tapaksinansa translative tapaksekseen tapakseksensa tapaksikseen tapaksiksensa abessive tapaksettaan tapaksettansa tapaksittaan tapaksittansa instructive — — comitative — tapaksineen tapaksinensa

Further reading

• “tapas”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-03

Anagrams

• Tapsa, pasta

French

Verb

tapas

1. second-person singular past historic of taper

Galician

Verb

tapas

1. second-person singular present indicative of tapar

Indonesian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtapas/
• Hyphenation: ta‧pas

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

tapas (uncountable)

1. coir for washing kitchen utensils, made of coarse-textured synthetic fibers.

Etymology 2

From English tapas, from Spanish tapas, plural of tapa, with original sense of “top”.

Noun

tapas (uncountable)

1. (cooking) tapas: a variety of Spanish small food items or snacks, originally served with sherry.

Further reading

• “tapas” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Portuguese

Verb

tapas

1. second-person singular present indicative of tapar

Spanish

Noun

tapas f pl

1. plural of tapa

Verb

tapas

1. second-person singular present indicative of tapar

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish tapas.

Noun

tapas c pl

1. tapas

   Vi gick till tapasrestaurangen

   We went to the tapas restaurant

Declension

Declension of tapas

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	-	-
	definite	-	-
plural	indefinite	tapas	tapas
	definite	tapasen	tapasens

References

• tapas in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• tapas in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)

Tagalog

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog)
  • IPA^(key): /ˈtapas/ [ˈt̪aː.pɐs] (noun)
    • Rhymes: -apas
  • IPA^(key): /taˈpas/ [t̪ɐˈpas] (adjective)
    • Rhymes: -as
• Syllabification: ta‧pas

Noun

tapas (Baybayin spelling ᜆᜉᜐ᜔)

1. act of dehusking a coconut (usually with a sharp bolo)

   Synonyms: talop, pagtapas, pagtatapas

2. act of cutting off the top evenly (of a tree)

   Synonyms: palas, pagpalas

Derived terms

• pagtapas
• pagtatapas
• tapasan
• tapasin

 

Adjective

tapás (Baybayin spelling ᜆᜉᜐ᜔)

1. lopped or cut off evenly

   Synonym: palas

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /taˈpas/ [t̪ɐˈpas]
• Rhymes: -as
• Syllabification: ta‧pas

Noun

tapás (Baybayin spelling ᜆᜉᜐ᜔)

1. a kind of typical river fish

Anagrams

• patas, sapat, tsapa