bocadillo

Spanish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Celticbor.?

Latin bucca

Old Spanish boca

Spanish boca

Spanish -ado

Spanish bocado

Proto-Indo-European *-lós

Proto-Indo-European *-elós

Proto-Italic *-elos

Latin -lus

Latin -ellus

Old Spanish -iello

Spanish -illo

Spanish bocadillo

From bocado + -illo (diminutive).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /bokaˈdiʝo/ [bo.kaˈð̞i.ʝo]

• IPA^(key): /bokaˈdiʝo/ [bo.kaˈð̞i.ʝo] (Equatorial Guinea, most of Latin America and Spain)
• IPA^(key): /bokaˈdiʎo/ [bo.kaˈð̞i.ʎo] (rustic northern Spain, northern and central Andes Mountains (except central Ecuador), Bolivia, Paraguay, northeastern Argentina, Philippines)
• IPA^(key): /bokaˈdiʃo/ [bo.kaˈð̞i.ʃo] (Buenos Aires and environs)
• IPA^(key): /bokaˈdiʒo/ [bo.kaˈð̞i.ʒo] (central Ecuador, Santiago del Estero and environs, elsewhere in Pampas and southern Argentina, Uruguay)
• IPA^(key): /bokaˈdio/ [bo.kaˈð̞i.o] (northern Mexico, Yucatán, Central America (except Panama))

• Audio (Venezuela):

  (file)

 

• Rhymes: -iʝo

• Rhymes: -iʝo (Equatorial Guinea, most of Latin America and Spain)
• Rhymes: -iʎo (rustic northern Spain, northern and central Andes Mountains (except central Ecuador), Bolivia, Paraguay, northeastern Argentina, Philippines)
• Rhymes: -iʃo (Buenos Aires and environs)
• Rhymes: -iʒo (central Ecuador, Santiago del Estero and environs, elsewhere in Pampas and southern Argentina, Uruguay)
• Rhymes: -io (northern Mexico, Yucatán, Central America (except Panama))

• Syllabification: bo‧ca‧di‧llo

Noun

bocadillo m (plural bocadillos)

1. (Spain) sandwich

   Synonyms: (Spain) bocata, (Mexico) torta

   Tengo carne, queso y tomates en mi bocadillo.

   There is meat, cheese and tomatoes in my sandwich.

2. (Colombia, Venezuela, Panama) guava jelly/jam
3. (Rest of the World) snack, bite to eat

   Necesito un bocadillo.

   I need a snack.

4. (comics) speech bubble (rounded outline, containing words, representing speech)

Derived terms

• bocadillería
• bocata

See also

• sándwich (sandwich made with sandwich bread)

Further reading

• “bocadillo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025