nacho

noun

na·​cho ˈnä-(ˌ)chō 

plural nachos

: a tortilla chip topped with melted cheese and often additional savory toppings (such as hot peppers or refried beans)

Examples of nacho in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The cheesy dipping burritos join a handful of new offerings also set to hit menus Jan. 16, including: Steak garlic nacho fries Baja Dream Freezes $5, $7, $9 Luxe Cravings Boxes Build Your Own Luxe Cravings Box Find your nearest Taco Bell here. —Tanasia Kenney, Kansas City Star, 16 Jan. 2025

And Taco Bell has the edge of being able to add hot sauce, nacho cheese and sour cream to many of its offerings. —Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2024

Pair that with the Fiesta Fries, which are slathered in chili and nacho cheese. —Laura Barrero, Axios, 20 Dec. 2024

Flamin' Hot Cheeto corn dog ($14): Topnotch Concessions dips the traditional Illinois treat in nacho cheese then coats it with flamin' hot flakes. —Moyo Adeolu, Axios, 13 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

probably borrowed from Spanish Nacho, hypocoristic form of the personal name Ignacio

Note: According to a story that apparently first appeared in the San Antonio Express on May 23, 1954 ("Nacho's? Natch!", by Clarence D. LaRoche, p. 3H), the dish was devised in 1940 by Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya García (1895-1975), a waiter (in other versions a maitre d' or chef) at a restaurant in Piedras Negras, Mexico. As related by LaRoche and in later versions, the story has stock elements of a culinary origin myth: late in the day a waiter or chef is pressed to come up with food to satisfy hungry customers and with limited ingredients left in the kitchen invents a new dish. Similar stories purport to explain the origins of other eponymous dishes, as the Reuben sandwich, Buffalo wings and Caesar salad. Though a print connection between "Nacho" Anaya and nachos is relatively early—predating the popularity of the snack outside south Texas—the first citations for nacho, in 1948 and 1949, make no reference to him.

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

nacho

noun

na·​cho ˈnä-chō 

plural nachos

: a tortilla chip topped with melted cheese and often additional toppings (as hot peppers or refried beans)