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

Spread about half of the creamy spinach mixture evenly over the pasta, then sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the grated Parmesan. —Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Dec. 2025

These Cheddar cheese biscuits have a rich, savory flavor dominated by the sharp tang of Cheddar and the nutty notes of Parmesan, balanced by a subtle buttery sweetness. —Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 3 Dec. 2025

Serve potatoes sprinkled with parsley and pine nut Parmesan. —Faye Levy, Oc Register, 3 Dec. 2025

It’s baked in a crust flecked with herbes de Provence and filled with Parmesan and Gruyère, baby spinach, and luscious sweet onions. —Jamila Robinson, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Dec. 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