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

In a small bowl stir together ⅓ cup ricotta cheese, ⅓ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, and ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning. —Sheryl Geerts, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 June 2024

Add the tomatoes, mozzarella, pesto, Parmesan, lemon juice (if using), and pepper flakes (if using) and toss to coat evenly, adding more pesto if needed to loosen the pasta. —Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 3 June 2024

This is not the company's first foray into melts: other flavors include Meat Lover’s, Chicken Bacon Parmesan, Buffalo Chicken, and Pepperoni Lover’s. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 17 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. —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

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