pistachio

noun

pis·​ta·​chio pə-ˈsta-sh(ē-ˌ)ō  -ˈstä- 

plural pistachios

: a small Asian tree (Pistacia vera) of the cashew family whose drupaceous fruit contains a greenish edible seed

also : its seed

Examples of pistachio in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Also getting good marks is Jasmine, whose pistachio cake, filled with pistachio mousse and topped with a cardamom cake, consists of just three green layers stacked on top of each other. —Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025

The Dubai chocolate martini has vanilla vodka, chocolate liqueur and pistachio. —Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2025

The sundae features vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, pistachio butter, and crispy toasted kataifi. —Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 3 Sep. 2025

For light, traditional Italian options, the chocolate cannoli ($14) come in a set of three crunchy shells filled with fluffy chocolate ricotta, while tiramisu ($12) is available in classic and pistachio variants. —Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Italian pistacchio, from Latin pistacium pistachio nut, from Greek pistakion, from pistakē pistachio tree, of Iranian origin; akin to Persian pistah pistachio tree

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pistachio

• afterglow
• akimbo
• albino
• aliquot
• allegro
• amigo
• apropos
• audio
• bungalow
• calico
• calypso
• cameo

Kids Definition

pistachio

noun

pis·​ta·​chio pə-ˈstash-(ē-ˌ)ō  -ˈstäsh- 

plural pistachios

: a small Asian tree that is related to the sumacs and has a fruit containing a greenish edible seed

also : its seed