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penne

American  
[pen-ey] / ˈpɛn eɪ /

noun

plural

penne

  1. a type of tubular pasta having diagonally cut ends.

penne British  
/ ˈpɛnɪ /

noun

  1. pasta in the form of short tubes

"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

Etymology

Origin of penne

1970–75; < Italian, plural of penna pen, feather, quill

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.

Cajun chicken pasta is essentially Alfredo in a leather jacket: fettuccine or penne, blackened or “blackened” chicken, a confetti of peppers and scallions, and a liberal snowfall of Cajun seasoning.

From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026

Supermarket penne pasta averaged 56p per 500g whereas the lowest gluten-free option averaged £1.22.

From BBC • Jul. 24, 2025

So, think of this episode as the penne alla vodka of the season.

From New York Times • May 5, 2024

Recently in Milan, Falai made his own take on penne alla vodka for his staff.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 21, 2023

And they were served every Wednesday, even though they cost more than to serve everybody’s favorite, penne pasta.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri

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.