ta-co \ ˈtä-(ˌ)kō

1 : [France, 1607] : a cloth plug used to hold shot in place in early firearms

2 : [Spain, various dictionaries, eighteenth century] : a ramrod, a billiard cue, a hammer, a gulp of wine

3 : [Mexico, late eighteenth century] : an explosive charge wrapped in paper, used in mining

4 : [Spain, Royal Spanish Academy, mid-nineteenth century] : all of the above, plus a small bite of food

5 : [Mexico, Los bandidos de Río Frío (novel, 1891)] : a snack made with tortillas and avocado

6 : [Mexico, Diccionario de mejicanismos, 1895] : a foodstuff originating in Mexico City

7 : [Mexico City, early twentieth century] : folded tortillas with simple fillings, sold to itinerant miners from baskets and called tacos de minero, or “miner’s tacos”

8 : [USA, Urban Dictionary, 2003] : “The best food ever made”

Sources: Jeffrey M. Pilcher, Planet Taco: A Global History of Mexican Food (2012), and urbandictionary.com.