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• bologna
  bologna

  noun

  a large seasoned sausage made of finely ground meat, usually beef and pork, that has been cooked and smoked.
• Bologna
  Bologna

  noun

  Giovanni da Jean de BoulogneGiambologna, c1525–1608, Italian sculptor, born in France.

bologna

¹ American  

[buh-loh-nee, -nuh, -lohn-yuh] / bəˈloʊ ni, -nə, -ˈloʊn yə /

noun

1. a large seasoned sausage made of finely ground meat, usually beef and pork, that has been cooked and smoked.

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Bologna ² American  

[buh-lohn-yuh, baw-law-nyah] / bəˈloʊn yə, bɔˈlɔ nyɑ /

noun

1. Giovanni da Jean de BoulogneGiambologna, c1525–1608, Italian sculptor, born in France.

2. a city in N Italy.

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Bologna ¹ British  

/ boˈloɲɲa, bəˈləʊnjə /

noun

1. Ancient name: Bononia.  a city in N Italy, at the foot of the Apennines: became a free city in the Middle Ages; university (1088). Pop: 371 217 (2001)

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Bologna ² British  

/ boˈloɲɲa, bəˈləʊnjə /

noun

1. See Giambologna

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Etymology

Origin of bologna

1555–65; after Bologna, Italy

Explanation

Bologna is a sliced sausage often used as lunch meat. If there's "mystery meat" on the menu at school, you'll probably be glad you packed a bologna sandwich. Bologna evolved from mortadella, a pork sausage invented in Bologna, Italy. While bologna is pork-based, it can contain beef, chicken, turkey, or even soy protein. This pale, salty lunch meat is mild in flavor and a favorite with kids who find salami a bit too spicy. The correct pronunciation is "bo-LO-nya," but it's common to say "ba-LO-nee" instead. Experts attribute this to Anglicization, which often leaves Italian words with Y endings — like Italia becoming Italy.

Example Sentences

“However, I think there has been a structural break in the relationship because trust has been broken,” said Tocci, now a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Bologna.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

Derby beat AC Milan and Bologna to sign the 15-year-old from Djurgardens in Sweden, where he moved from Democratic Republic of Congo to live with his brother after losing both parents.

From BBC • May 5, 2026

"Our study is a reminder that the oldest chronologies must be treated with great caution," explains Sahra Talamo, professor at the University of Bologna and co-coordinator of the study.

From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2026

Emery told TNT Sports: "I'm very happy. We were organised and tried to impose our ideas and style, which is not easy against Bologna."

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

“I guess Bologna is a city. But why we have to find dwarfs there...I have no idea. Some sort of treasure to help us with the quest.”

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan