al dente

American

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

adjective

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

spaghetti al dente.

al dente British

/ al ˈdɛnte /

adjective

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

"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

Etymology

Origin of al dente

1945–50; Italian: literally, to the tooth

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023