enchilada English · revision 1209

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ɛnt͡ʃɪˈlɑːdə/ ''(UK)''; /ˌɛnt͡ʃɪˈlɑdə/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|es|enchilada]] from Mexican Spanish,^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) the feminine past participle of ''enchilar'' “to season with chili”,^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) [[af|es|en-|chile|t1=in|t2=chili]].^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A Mexican dish of a tortilla with a chili sauce (1876 in Etymonline, after ''tortillas enchiladas'' in 1861;^(Etymonline) 1887 in Barnhart, Merriam-Webster and the OED).^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The dish is usually a tortilla rolled around a filling and baked in sauce.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Wiktionary) In American slang ''the whole enchilada'' means the whole of something,^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) and ''big enchilada'' or ''top enchilada'' the most important person in an organization.^(RHWU)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1861 – ''tortillas enchiladas''.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1876 – ''enchilada''.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1887 – Barnhart's, Merriam-Webster's and the OED's date.^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[tortilla]] rolled around a filling, usually of meat or cheese, covered with a [[chili]] sauce and usually baked.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(slang)'' ''the whole enchilada'': the whole thing; everything involved.^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)

+ # ''(slang)'' ''big enchilada'': the most important person in a group.^(RHWU)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[big enchilada]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[chili]]

+ * [[tortilla]]

+ * [[taco]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}