'tortilla' originates from Spanish, specifically the word 'tortilla' (a diminutive form), where 'torta' meant 'cake' or 'round cake'.

'tortilla' changed from the Spanish word 'tortilla' (diminutive of 'torta'), which itself comes from Latin 'torta' meaning a twisted or round cake; over time the term in Spanish came to be used for small round cakes and later for specific foods such as omelettes and, in the Americas, the flatbread.

Initially, it meant 'little cake' or 'small round cake', but over time it evolved into its current meanings referring to a Spanish omelette in Spain and a corn or wheat flatbread in the Americas.