primavera

¹ American  

[pree-muh-vair-uh] / ˌpri məˈvɛər ə /

noun

1. a central American tree, Cybistax donnell-smithii, of the bignonia family, having showy, tubular yellow flowers.

2. Also called white mahogany.  the hard, yellowish-white wood of this tree, used for making furniture.

---

primavera ² American  

[pree-muh-vair-uh, pree-mah-ve-rah] / ˌpri məˈvɛər ə, ˌpri mɑˈvɛ rɑ /

adjective

Italian Cooking.

1. prepared with a variety of chopped or minced vegetables.

   pasta primavera.

---

Etymology

Origin of primavera¹

1890–95; < Spanish: literally, spring; so called from its early flowering; see primaveral

Origin of primavera²

Apparently ellipsis from Italian alla primavera in the style of springtime; see primaveral

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

primavera

Luckily, farmers markets this time of year are full of spring produce that are right at home in a primavera: asparagus, snap peas, chives, leeks and fresh herbs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026

Carrots, tomatoes, peppers and squash have all been bad for the primavera brand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026

This version, brimming with herbs, spinach, asparagus and peas, is an ode to spring, like a baked pasta primavera in its richest form.

From Seattle Times ● May 14, 2023

The recipe for pasta primavera that ran in the Times instructs the cook to blanch each green vegetable separately in salted water — a decidedly French level of fussiness.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 27, 2023

It is as much without rule or study or conventionality as the song of birds when in Italian phrase, fanno primavera.

From Essays in the Study of Folk-Songs (1886) by Martinengo-Cesaresco, Countess Evelyn