Parmesan

noun

Par·​me·​san ˈpär-mə-ˌzän 

-ˌzhän,

-zən,

-ˌzan 

: a very hard dry sharply flavored cheese that is sold grated or in wedges

sprinkled grated Parmesan over the spaghetti

Examples of Parmesan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The My Hut Box comes with either Melts – other flavors include Pepperoni Lover's, Buffalo Chicken, Chicken Bacon Parmesan and Meat Lover's – or a two-topping Personal Pan Pizza, a side of fries or four boneless wings and a 20-ounce drink. —Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 15 May 2024

Toss them in a mixture of mozzarella, pepperoni, Parmesan, basil, parsley, and oregano. —Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 15 May 2024

The My Hut Box comes with either melts – other flavors include pepperoni lover's, buffalo chicken, chicken bacon Parmesan and meat lover's – or a two-topping personal pan pizza, a side of fries or four boneless wings and a 20-ounce drink. —Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 15 May 2024

Parma, a region in northern Italy known for its ham delicacies (and Parmesan cheese), is especially vulnerable if wild boars continue to spread the disease. —Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 9 May 2024

More cheese: Top with grated Parmesan before serving for an extra-cheesy touch. —Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 3 May 2024

In the Italian sausage face-off, Kaleena beat Kevin 13-2 with her potato gnocchi with Italian sausage ragu and Calabrian chili, to Kevin’s risotto with Italian sausage, roasted Parmesan and fennel emulsion. —Buddha Lo, Peoplemag, 2 May 2024

Breaking My Balls Peak A Boo Pie — meatball margherita pizza with a Parmesan crisp. —Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 22 Apr. 2024

Bring your appetite — the plate is piled with thin noodles in a garlic, white wine, and tomato sauce, under a layer of Maine lobster meat, breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese — and patience since there’s usually a line out the door for a coveted bar seat. —Jillian Dara, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

short for Parmesan cheese; Parmesan "of the city of Parma," borrowed from Middle French parmisan, probably borrowed from a western Upper Italian variant of Tuscan parmigiano, from Parma "Parma" + -igiano, adjective suffix of appurtenance, from Vulgar Latin *-ēs- (going back to Latin -ensis, adjective suffix of place) + Latin -iānus -ian entry 2

Note: The expected Tuscan (and standard Italian) outcome of -igiano would be -iciano; cf. standard Italian bacio "kiss" (from Latin bāsium), usually pronounced [ˈba šo], but Ligurian [ˈba žu], Trentino (northwest Italy) [ˈba žo] (see Gerhard Rohlfs, Grammatica storica della lingua italiana e dei suoi dialetti: Sintassi e formazione delle parole, Turin, 1969, p. 392). The form -igiano with a voiced consonant hence presumably reflects Upper Italian influence. For instances of the same suffix as borrowed into French see courtesan, partisan entry 1. The common American English pronunciation of Parmesan with \zh\ may show dialectal Italian influence.

First Known Use

1538, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

Parmesan

noun

Par·​me·​san ˈpär-mə-ˌzän  -ˌzhän 

-zən,

-ˌzan

: a very hard dry sharply flavored cheese that is sold grated or in wedges