pasta

American  

[pah-stuh, pas-tuh] / ˈpɑ stə, ˈpæs tə /

noun

1. any of various flour-and-egg food preparations of Italian origin, made of thin, unleavened dough and produced in a variety of forms, usually served with a sauce and sometimes stuffed.

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pasta British  

/ ˈpæstə /

noun

1. any of several variously shaped edible preparations made from a flour and water dough, such as spaghetti

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Etymology

Origin of pasta

1870–75; < Italian < Late Latin. See paste

Explanation

Pasta is any Italian style of noodle, including spaghetti, ziti, and macaroni. Your favorite type of pasta might be fettuccine, especially when it's served in a creamy Alfredo sauce. Pasta refers to the noodle, or to the dish that contains it, like vegetable lasagna or spaghetti carbonara. Most pasta is made from semolina flour and water, and often eggs. The stiff dough is rolled very thin and then cut into shapes or long ribbons. It can be cooked from this soft, fresh state, or (more commonly) dried, packaged, and sold. Pasta is an Italian word (surprise, surprise), from Late Latin, which means "dough or paste."

Example Sentences

Many all-you-can-eat menus lead with heavy, low-cost carbohydrates like pasta or thick breading to trigger fullness before you’ve reached the break-even point on higher-cost proteins.

From MarketWatch • May 14, 2026

"Don't worry," Lampredi later told her as she cut the pasta.

From Barron's • May 14, 2026

Turning stovetop pasta into a spicy, creamy Cajun version that tastes like if the average Rainforest Cafe were suddenly staffed entirely by people with experience on the line at French bistros.

From Salon • May 12, 2026

Such regional divides dispel one of the biggest misconceptions internationally that Italian food is "just pizza and pasta," he says.

From BBC • May 9, 2026

Then she opened cupboards and filled a pot with water for the pasta.

From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart

Related Words

• gnocchi
• linguine
• macaroni
• ravioli
• spaghetti
• tortellini