elote

English

Elote

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish elote (“fresh ear of corn”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɛˈləʊteɪ/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ɛˈloʊˌteɪ/

Noun

elote (countable and uncountable, plural elotes)

1. (uncountable, originally) Corn (maize) harvested before reaching full maturity.
2. (uncountable, countable) A street food dish originating in Central America, but now also popular in the United States, consisting of corn on the cob which is grilled or boiled and served on a stick, typically with toppings such as cheese, chili powder, mayonnaise, and lime juice.

   Synonym: street corn

   • 2023 August 22, Emily Weinstein, “Grilled to a Char, Creamed With Coconut, Livened With Lime and Piled on Pasta”, in The New York Times‎^[1], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 28 August 2023:

     I love elotes, esquites and arepas. I really love it in ice cream and pudding; if you haven't had these delicacies, do it now.

Spanish

elote

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Nahuatl ēlōtl (“green corn cob, fresh ear of corn”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /eˈlote/ [eˈlo.t̪e]

• Audio (Costa Rica):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ote
• Syllabification: e‧lo‧te

Noun

elote m (plural elotes)

2. (Mexico, Central America) fresh ear of corn

   Synonyms: (South and Central America) choclo, (Venezuela) jojoto

Derived terms

• elote loco
• elotero
• elotillo

See also

• esquite
• olote

Further reading

• “elote”, 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