ravioli

noun

rav·​i·​o·​li ˌra-vē-ˈō-lē 

ˌrä-

plural ravioli also raviolis ˌra-vē-ˈō-lēz 

ˌrä-

: pasta in the form of little cases of dough containing a savory filling (as of meat or cheese)

Examples of ravioli in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Servers greeted guests with red sangria and passed ravioli and meatballs as Christmas carolers and a swing band entertained the crowd, especially the actor Jon Hamm, who danced through the room to join the cast in a reserved area. —Alyson Krueger, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2024

Careful seasoning and spicing is key to the success of dishes like escargots ($17) with plenty of garlic butter and buttery puff pastry and ravioli ($17) with wild mushrooms, pea shoots, a touch of sage and parmigiano. —John Mariani, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024

On the menu, try the seafood ravioli, grilled seabass, or rib-eye steak cooked to perfection. —Essence, 17 Dec. 2024

Guests dined on seasonal menu items, including a roasted cauliflower steak with cauliflower puree, a goat cheese and pumpkin ravioli in a sage butter sauce, and braised short ribs with a celery root and parsnip puree. —Jacqueline Weiss, People.com, 20 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Italian, from Italian dialect, plural of raviolo, literally, little turnip, diminutive of rava turnip, from Latin rapa — more at rape entry 3

First Known Use

1760, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

ravioli

noun

rav·​i·​o·​li ˌrav-ē-ˈō-lē 

ˌräv-

plural ravioli also raviolis

-lēz

: little pockets of pasta with a filling (as of meat or cheese)

Etymology

Italian, from a plural of a dialect word raviolo, literally, "little turnip"