al dente
[al den-tey, -tee; Italian ahl den-te]
- (especially of pasta) cooked so as not to be too soft; firm to the bite: spaghetti al dente.
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Origin of al dente
1945–50; Italian: literally, to the tooth
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for al dente
Contemporary Examples
Cook for 6-8 minutes; you want them al-dente, because they'll keep cooking in the hot soup.
al dente
- (of a pasta dish) cooked so as to be firm when eaten
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Word Origin
literally: to the tooth
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for al dente
1935, Italian, literally "to the tooth," from Latin dent (see tooth).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper