panini

noun

pa·​ni·​ni pə-ˈnē-nē How to pronounce panini (audio)
variants or less commonly panino
plural panini or paninis
: a usually grilled sandwich made with Italian bread

Note: Panini is a plural form in Italian but is commonly used as both a singular and a plural in English. Its use as a singular has given rise the variant plural form paninis. The use of panino as a singular form in English has become relatively uncommon as panini has become established as the usual singular.

On each visit, someone at our table invariably orders a paniniJodi Wright
At the back of the shop are paninis, freshly brewed coffee and two tubs of homemade soups.M. H. Reed

Examples of panini in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Fuel up a with lunch at All Good Pizza, another popular Bayview spot, known for its delicious Neapolitan style brick oven pizzas, organic salads, paninis grilled on fresh baked local bread, served alongside beer and wine. Chelsea Davis, Forbes, 19 Oct. 2024 Marjoram + Roux is a cozy veggie-friendly cafe in Great Barrington with soups, panini, frittatas, delicious maple lattes and a pop-up dinner menu on Fridays with the roving restaurant After Hours. Lauren Matison, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2024 The menu features hot and cold paninis, salads, pinsas and one or two pasta dishes. Bahar Anooshahr, The Arizona Republic, 30 Sep. 2024 Take advantage of the many activities on hand — including horseback riding, foraging, cooking classes, e-bike riding, and tennis — or hang by the pool with a panini and a drink by your side. Peter Terzian, Travel + Leisure, 17 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for panini 

Word History

Etymology

Italian, diminutive of pane bread, from Latin panis — more at food

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of panini was in 1955

Dictionary Entries Near panini

Cite this Entry

“Panini.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/panini. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!