pitta

American

[pit-uh] / ˈpɪt ə /

noun

any of several brilliantly colored, passerine birds of the family Pittidae, inhabiting dark, Old World, tropical forests.

pitta ¹ British

/ ˈpɪtə /

noun

another name for pitta bread

"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

pitta ² British

/ ˈpɪtə /

noun

any of various small brightly coloured ground-dwelling tropical birds of the genus Pitta

"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 pitta

First recorded in 1830–40, pitta is from the Telugu word piṭṭa bird

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.

I chose pitta for its transformative, cooling properties, and kapha for its stabilizing, anti-inflammatory ones.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 20, 2025

He described how he and the three other hostages with him were given one meal a day and they would divide a single flatbread, or pitta, into quarters to share.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2025

Cyprus’ halloumi pitta: Stuff mini pittas with fried halloumi, cucumber, mint and tomato.

From BBC • May 10, 2023

James Ramsden’s Lebanese-style fattee is a layered dish of pitta bread, chilli sauce, yoghurt, herbs and, yes, shredded turkey.

From The Guardian • Dec. 26, 2020

It is seen in many bulbuls, robins, and woodpeckers, and in the pitta.

From Birds of the Indian Hills by Dewar, Douglas

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023