mortadella

American

[mawr-tuh-del-uh] / ˌmɔr təˈdɛl ə /

noun

a large Italian sausage of pork, beef, and pork fat chopped fine, seasoned with garlic and pepper, cooked, and smoked.

Etymology

Origin of mortadella

1605–15; < Italian < Latin murtāt ( um ) sausage seasoned with myrtle ( murt ( um ) myrtle-berry + -ātum, neuter of -ātus -ate ¹ ) + -ella diminutive suffix

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.

But I ditched the traditional ham you would typically use and opted for my favorite, mortadella.

From Salon • May 28, 2024

Sandwiches, including its popular mortadella, are assembled on housemade focaccia.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 21, 2023

Favorite grinder meats in our house include sopresetta, ham, prosciutto, mortadella and various types of salami.

From Washington Times • Sep. 21, 2023

Saturday’s menu includes focaccia with whipped ricotta, mortadella with shaved parmigiana, fregola sarda alle vongole, rigatoni amatriciana, and boneless chicken with caper, anchovy and parsley sauce.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2023

There is mortadella, the enormous Bologna sausage, thick as a church pillar: 16 francs: and there are various sorts of smaller sausage, salami, to be eaten in slices.

From Sea and Sardinia by Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)

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