pesto

[ pes-toh ]

/ ˈpɛs toʊ /

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noun Italian Cooking.

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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Origin of pesto

1935–40; <Upper Italian (compare Genoese dialect pésto pesto), Italian: noun derivative of pestare to pound, crush; see piste, pestle

Words nearby pesto

pestiferous, pestilence, pestilent, pestilential, pestle, pesto, pesty, pet, peta-, petabyte, Petach Tikva

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pesto in a sentence

After all, many people have probably thought of combining eggs and pesto.
The Hottest New (Ghost) Restaurant Is TikTok|Jaya Saxena|December 17, 2021|Eater
In Vermont, they’ve distributed invasivespecies recipes and encouraged elementary school students to turn garlic mustard into pesto.
Welcome to invasivorism, the boldest solution to ethical eating yet|Matt Hongoltz-Hetling|December 7, 2021|Popular-Science
But even the most adventuresome eaters have probably never eaten Maori pikopiko pesto.
The Maori Star Chef Rocking the South Pacific|Lea Lane Stern|April 2, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Then move on to the Mandilli di seta al pesto, handmade handkerchief pasta with Genovese basil pesto.
The Easygoing Flair of San Francisco|Jolie Hunt|April 10, 2010|DAILY BEAST

I enjoyed a spectacular braised shin of beef with a parsley pesto and fried parsley.
Fresh Picks|Anne Burrell|December 29, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Marya Dmitrievna Pesto—that was her maiden name—had lost her parents in childhood.
A House of Gentlefolk|Ivan Turgenev

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