The Spanish word 'burrito' literally means 'little donkey', formed by combining 'burro' (donkey) with the diminutive suffix '-ito'. The word 'burro' itself comes from Late Latin 'burricus', meaning 'small horse'. The name for the popular Mexican dish supposedly comes from its appearance - when rolled up, the flour tortilla with its filling supposedly resembles a donkey's bedroll or the packages that donkeys would carry.

The most obvious related Spanish word is 'burro' meaning 'donkey', which is a more common and simpler word that Spanish learners often encounter early on. 'Burro' is the base word from which 'burrito' is derived using the diminutive suffix '-ito'.

While English has borrowed the word 'burrito' directly from Spanish for the food item, it has also borrowed 'burro' to specifically refer to a small donkey. Both of these words maintain their Spanish pronunciation patterns in English. The English word 'bureau' is not related, despite some similarity in sound.