paella
UK[paɪˈɛlə]US[paɪˈeɪlə]
n
a spanish dish of rice, saffron, chicken, seafood, etc., cooked and served in a large shallow pan.
Etymology
the word 'paella' comes directly from valencian (a variety of catalan), where it means 'pan'. this, in turn, derives from the latin word 'patella', a diminutive of 'patina', meaning a shallow dish or pan. the name of the cooking vessel was transferred to the iconic dish prepared within it, a common linguistic process known as metonymy. the dish originated in the valencia region of spain, where it was traditionally cooked over an open fire in this wide, flat pan, and the term entered english in the 20th century as the dish gained international popularity.
Analysis
the word is a loanword from spanish (valencian/catalan) and is not productively segmented using english morphemes. it originates from the old french/latin word for 'pan'.
Examples
we enjoyed an authentic seafood paella at the waterfront restaurant.
the key to a good paella is the socarrat, the slightly crispy layer of rice at the bottom of the pan.
she learned to cook paella from her grandmother in valencia.