definitions

pesto

[ pes-toh ]
/ ˈpɛs toʊ /

noun Italian Cookery.

a sauce typically made with basil, pine nuts, olive oil, and grated Parmesan blended together and served hot or cold over pasta, fish, or meat.

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Nearby words

pestiferously, pestilence, pestilent, pestilential, pestle, pesto, pesty, pet, pet name, pet parent, pet peeve

Origin of pesto

1935–40; < Upper Italian (compare Genoese dialect pésto pesto), Italian: noun derivative of pestare to pound, crush; see piste, pestle
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for pesto

pesto

/ (ˈpɛstəʊ) /

noun

a sauce for pasta, consisting of basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, oil, and Parmesan cheese, all crushed together

Word Origin for pesto

Italian, shortened form of pestato, past participle of pestare to pound, crush
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