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Parmesan

American  
[pahr-muh-zahn, -zan, -zuhn, pahr-muh-zahn, -zan] / ˈpɑr məˌzɑn, -ˌzæn, -zən, ˌpɑr məˈzɑn, -ˈzæn /

adjective

  1. of or from Parma, in northern Italy.


noun

  • Parmesans
    plural
  1. Also called Parmesan cheese(sometimes lowercase) a hard, dry variety of Italian cheese made from skim milk, usually grated and sprinkled over pasta dishes and soups.

Parmesan British  
/ ˌpɑːmɪˈzæn, ˈpɑːmɪˌzæn /

adjective

  1. of or relating to Parma or its inhabitants

"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

noun

  1. a native or inhabitant of Parma

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of Parmesan

1510–20; < Middle French < Italian parmigiano pertaining to Parma

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.

See Examples For:

What about helmets wrapped to look like frozen meatballs or wheels of imported Parmesan?

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 30, 2026

She would make bowties in a light Parmesan sauce with peas, ham and an indecent amount of black pepper.

From Salon Jul. 28, 2026

To start, whisk together Parmesan, lemon juice, oil, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt and pepper.

From Salon Jul. 25, 2026

I missed genuine Italian markets — the kind where they carve a slab of Parmesan out of a freshly cut wheel and offer you a piece to taste.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 24, 2026

Most of the time I was happy not to have to bother with food, but tonight I hungered for a mouthful of pasta, steaming hot, drowned in sauce, dusted with Parmesan.

From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn

I much prefer Parmigiana Reggiano with flaky, crystalized granules to the damp American or Argentinian Parmesans.

From Salon Apr. 2, 2023

There are non-rennet Parmesans out there, but they may not be available at all grocery stores.

From Salon Jul. 31, 2022

Abdullah encourages the curious, especially those who appreciate aged or mature cheddars and Parmesans, to give blue cheese another chance.

From Washington Post Sep. 8, 2021

One might almost believe, hearing the Parmesans talk, that his manner had infected their dialect, and that they fashioned their lazy, incomplete utterance with the careless lips of his nymphs and angels.

From Italian Journeys by William Dean Howells

Before the close of 1268 Pallavicino died, broken with age and in utter misery, while besieged in his castle of Gusaliggio by the Piacenzans and Parmesans.

From A History of The Inquisition of The Middle Ages; volume II by Henry Charles Lea

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