The Spanish verb 'tapar' (meaning 'to cover') comes from the Gothic word 'tappa', meaning 'stopper' or 'cover'. The Gothic word first evolved into the Spanish noun 'tapa' (meaning 'cover' or 'lid'), and then the verb 'tapar' was formed by adding the common Spanish verb suffix '-ar' to 'tapa'.

This etymology shows how a Germanic noun for a physical cover or stopper developed into both a noun and verb in Spanish relating to the action of covering something.

The most obvious related Spanish word is 'tapa', which means 'cover' or 'lid'. This is actually where we get the famous Spanish culinary term 'tapas' - these small dishes were traditionally served on top of drinks in bars, literally acting as a cover! The word 'tapa' is also used in many compound words like 'tapaboca' (face mask, literally 'mouth cover') and 'tapaojos' (blindfold, literally 'eye cover').

While English doesn't have any direct descendants from the Gothic 'tappa', we do have some related words that entered English through similar Germanic roots. The English word 'tap' (as in a water tap or beer tap) is related, as it originally referred to a stopper or plug used to control the flow of liquid. The word 'tampon' also shares this ancient connection to the concept of stopping or plugging something.