feta

American  

[fet-uh] / ˈfɛt ə /

noun

• fetas
  plural

1. a soft, white, brine-cured Greek cheese made from sheep's milk or goat's milk.

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feta British  

/ ˈfɛtə /

noun

1. a white sheep or goat cheese popular in Greece

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fetas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of feta

1935–40; < Modern Greek, short for tyrì phéta, equivalent to tyrí cheese ( Greek tyrós ) + phéta slice < Italian fetta ( see fettuccine)

Explanation

Feta is a crumbly, tangy cheese that's traditionally made from sheep's milk. Feta is an ingredient in many Greek foods, like spanakopita, or spinach pie. If you've tasted feta, you know what a distinctly sharp, salty flavor this soft white cheese has. Traditional feta is formed into blocks and cured in brine to give it that taste. You can crumble feta into salads, omelets, sandwiches, or anything else that needs a little extra salt or tanginess. Feta is from the Modern Greek tyri pheta, "slice of cheese."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

feta fetas

Such journeys have become a rite of passage for the millions of tourists who island-hop through Greece every summer, dreaming of beaches, parties and feta.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Tossed with olive oil, tomatoes, jalapeño, feta and Parmesan cheese, the expertly al dente Rustichella rigatoni is not your everyday mac ‘n’ cheese dinner.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2026

You could absolutely use feta, goat cheese, mozzarella or cream cheese depending on what’s in your fridge, but there’s something uniquely satisfying about the melt of American cheese here.

From Salon ● May 19, 2026

Existing Australian producers will be allowed to call their product feta, but new dairy companies won’t be able to.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026

When she asks what kind we want, everyone says things like feta and grilled chicken and basil, and Maxine asks, “What about tofu instead of chicken?”

From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson

Our tasting included a farmhouse goat feta which was so different from what I've come to expect from fetas.

From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2022

You can use a generic supermarket feta, but for a finish that is smooth and salty, buy one of the tinned smooth fetas sold in Middle Eastern delis.

From The Guardian ● Oct. 26, 2017

"They have, like, four different kinds of Oaxacan cheese and eight different fetas," he says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2015