definitions

al dente

[ al den-tey, -tee; Italian ahl den-te ]
/ æl ˈdɛn teɪ, -ti; Italian ɑl ˈdɛn tɛ /
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adjective, adverb

(especially of pasta) cooked so as not to be too soft; firm to the bite: spaghetti al dente.

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RELATED WORDS

firm, medium

Nearby words

akutagawa, akvavit, akwa ibom, akyab, al, al dente, al desko, al farabi, al fatah, al fayed, al fine

Origin of al dente

1945–50; Italian: literally, to the tooth
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for al dente

British Dictionary definitions for al dente

al dente

/ Italian (al ˈdɛnte) /

adjective

(of a pasta dish) cooked so as to be firm when eaten

Word Origin for al dente

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