'barbecue' originates from Spanish, specifically the word 'barbacoa', which in turn comes from a Taíno (Arawakan) word often cited as 'barabicu' meaning 'framework of sticks' for cooking or drying meat.

'barbecue' entered English in the 17th century from Spanish 'barbacoa'; the Spanish word came from Taíno, and English adapted the form and meaning to refer both to the structure and the method of cooking and later to the social event.

Initially, it referred to a 'framework of sticks' used to smoke or dry meat; over time it broadened to mean the method of cooking over an open flame and the social event where that cooking takes place.