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

Visually, the red onions and microgreens create a striking purple-and-green contrast, while the flavors of onions, mushrooms and freshly grated Parmesan complement each other perfectly. —Tristan Graziano, Charlotte Observer, 13 Nov. 2025

Belly up to the Turkish silver onyx bar, slide into a Yves Klein blue chair and pick from the five martinis on the menu, which range from the Grey Goose and Botanist Gin Skyfall to the Parmesan Espresso Martini. —Melinda Sheckells, HollywoodReporter, 11 Nov. 2025

Bouillon cubes dissolved in white wine and milk lend an incredibly savory flavor, which is accompanied by Parmesan and pepper. —Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 9 Nov. 2025

Specifically, customers can choose from sauces like Garlic Parmesan, Honey BBQ, Buffalo Mild, Spicy Garlic, Buffalo Medium, Sweet Chili and Buffalo Burnin’ Hot or dry rubs including Lemon Pepper and Cajun-Style. —Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2025

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

Rhymes for Parmesan

• aileron
• antiphon
• autobahn
• carillon
• castellan
• celadon
• cephalon
• chitosan
• cynodon
• denouement
• deuteron
• echelon

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