'barbecue' originates from Spanish, specifically the word 'barbacoa', where the Taíno root 'barabicu' meant 'a framework of sticks (used for sleeping or for cooking)'.

'barbecue' came into English in the 17th century via Spanish 'barbacoa' (often spelled 'barbeque' or 'barbecue' in early English) and gradually settled into the modern spelling 'barbecue'.

Initially it referred to a wooden framework or structure; over time it evolved to mean both the method of cooking over a fire and the social event centered on that cooking.