Pecorino
noun
a dry, hard Italian cheese made of ewe's milk, especially Romano.
Pecorino
American
[pek-uh-ree-noh]
/ ˌpɛk əˈri noʊ /
noun
plural
Pecorinos, Pecorini
pecorino
British
/ ˌpɛkəˈriːnəʊ /
noun
Etymology
Origin of Pecorino
First recorded in 1905–10; from Italian: literally, “(cheese) of ewes,” from adjective pecorino, from pecora “sheep, ewe” + -ino, from Late Latin pecorīnus “relating to sheep,” from Latin pecus (stem pecor- ) “farm animals, livestock” + -īnus adjective suffix; akin to fief ( def. ); -ine 1 ( def. )
Explanation
Pecorino is a hard Italian cheese that tastes similar to Parmesan. Unlike that more widely-known cheese, pecorino is made from sheep's milk. Instead of grating Parmesan on your spaghetti, you could use pecorino instead. It's also crumbly and salty, but because it's not aged as long, pecorino is a bit softer and has less of Parmesan's nutty sweetness. Some people also detect a slight tanginess in the flavor of pecorino, probably because it's made from the milk of sheep, rather than cows. Pecorino derives from pecora, Italian for "sheep."
Vocabulary lists containing pecorino
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.
The miso adds a quiet, savory hum beneath the Parmesan and Pecorino, while the final hit of black pepper keeps everything sharp.
From Salon • Apr. 28, 2026
Pecorino again made an appearance here; Blotto clearly loves this cheese.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 23, 2023
“Tell me your feelings about pecorino,” I said, and they both started laughing, and then said that they have an imaginary rat mascot named Pecorino who helps them out, “Ratatouille”-style.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 23, 2023
Add some grated Italian cheese like Pecorino Romano or Parmesan and finish with some fruity-bitter-grassy extra virgin olive oil and crushed, dried red pepper flakes — well, it's just my favorite thing.
From Salon • Oct. 1, 2022
Pecorino Italy Italian cheese made from ewe's milk.
From The Complete Book of Cheese by Brown, Robert Carlton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
