'banderilla' originates from Spanish, specifically the word 'banderilla', where '-illa' meant 'diminutive' and 'bandera' meant 'flag'.

'banderilla' changed from the Spanish word 'banderilla' (a diminutive of 'bandera') and was adopted into English as the loanword 'banderilla' used in descriptions of bullfighting.

Initially, it meant 'little flag' (a diminutive of 'flag'), but over time it came to mean the small decorated, barbed stick used in bullfighting.