panini

¹ American  

[puh-nee-nee] / pəˈni ni /

Sometimes panino

noun

plural

panini, paninis

1. a usually pressed and grilled sandwich of Italian bread filled with meat, cheese, vegetables, etc.

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Panini ² American  

[pah-nee-nee, pah-nee-nee] / ˈpɑ ni ni, pɑˈni ni /

noun

1. flourished c400 b.c., Indian grammarian of Sanskrit.

2. Pannini, Giovanni Paolo.

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panini British  

/ pæˈniːnɪ /

noun

1. a type of Italian bread, usually served grilled with a variety of fillings

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Etymology

Origin of panini

First recorded in 1955–60; from Italian panini, plural of panino “a roll, sandwich,” diminutive of pane “bread,” from Latin pān- (stem of pānis ) “bread” + -ini, plural of diminutive suffix -ino, from Latin -īnus adjective suffix meaning “of or pertaining to, made of”; -ine ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

I challenge you to find your panini press.

From Salon • Dec. 20, 2025

"We then made a kind of quesadilla or panini where the bismuth is the cheesy filling and the tortillas are the atomically flat surfaces," said Wu.

From Science Daily • May 21, 2024

He and two employees — down from a staff of seven pre-pandemic — assembled wraps, salads and panini sandwiches.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 26, 2023

The demands never stop, just like a panini keeps oozing out the side, Beck added.

From Washington Post • Mar. 22, 2023

If your cook cannot make the perfect panini, it is not because he is stupid.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie