gnocchi
Americannoun
plural noun
Etymology
Origin of gnocchi
1890–95; < Italian, plural of gnocco, originally Upper Italian (Veneto), perhaps cognate with Tuscan nocca, nocco knuckle < Langobardic *knohha joint; knuckle
Explanation
If you like pasta but are tired of spaghetti, you might want to give gnocchi a try. These Italian potato dumplings, which are boiled or baked, are thick and delicious. Gnocchi consists of small dumplings made of potato, flour, and semolina. Like other types of pasta, gnocchi is served with cheese and sauce. Like spaghetti, this is a plural world: the singular gnocco is rarely seen in English. Make sure you have a full appetite before eating a plate of gnocchi because it will fill you up.
Vocabulary lists containing gnocchi
World Cuisine - Middle School and High School
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To All the Boys I've Loved Before
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The Fault in Our Stars
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ready to splurge, I ordered squid-ink gnocchi, Dover sole with artichokes and an ethereal persimmon sorbet.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026
It allows the tomatoes to collapse into themselves, the meatballs to brown deeply, the gnocchi to crisp at the edges.
From Salon • Mar. 23, 2026
To cope with the relentless cold, I’ve been living off frozen meals, namely Trader Joe’s cheese-filled eggplant pasta, and home-cooked slow-cooker chili, baked gnocchi and chicken noodle soup.
From Salon • Feb. 7, 2026
I tend to always get their spinach gnocchi bolognese, as part of the arrangement on the table.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2025
After green garlic gnocchi with red mustard leaves, the waiter said, “Dessert next. More stars first?”
From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
