lasagna
Americannoun
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large, flat, rectangular strips of pasta.
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a baked dish consisting of layers of this pasta, cheese, tomato sauce, and usually meat.
Etymology
Origin of lasagna
1840–50; < Italian < Vulgar Latin *lasania cooking pot (hence, apparently, the contents of the pot), for Latin lasanum, lasanus chamber pot < Greek lásana (plural), originally, trivet or stand for a pot
Explanation
If you want to be the star of the potluck, bring a big pan of lasagna. Layers of tender noodles, savory red sauce, creamy ricotta, and melty mozzarella will tempt almost everyone. Lasagna is the name for both a type of wide, flat pasta and the delicious dish you make by layering that pasta with other ingredients and baking. This Italian word can also be spelled lasagne, which is actually its plural form. The earliest known lasagna recipe dates from the 1500s, when historians describe it being made from fermented dough, spices, and cheese.
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.
Organic food company Amy’s Kitchen, which started selling frozen pot pies nearly 40 years ago, recently rolled out family-size options for meals like vegetable lasagna, cheese enchiladas and pad thai.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
As testing widened, frozen lasagna and spaghetti bolognese sold across Europe were found in some cases to contain “beef” that was almost entirely horse.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026
“Well, you could add it to your makeshift lasagna, for health and longevity.”
From Slate ● May 6, 2026
“People tend to think that lasagna is simple, but it’s actually a bit more complicated than the braised short ribs,” Matijevich says.
From Salon ● Feb. 20, 2026
One minute the boy was balling a baloney sandwich in his fist, and the next minute he was darting into the dining room, snatching a piece of lasagna out of the bus tub.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
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