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

Here it gets whirled with Parmesan and a handful of herbs that take it to the next level. —Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Dec. 2025

Stir in Cheddar, Parmesan, or even Gouda at the end (after the water has boiled out) for the smoothest texture. —Libby Monteith Minor, Southern Living, 14 Dec. 2025

And classic tomato sauce, the kind that’s served with chicken Parmesan and over fresh pasta, is a signature of Sugo Italian Steakhouse, which opened in September 2024 in the Hotel Ballast in downtown Wilmington. —Liz Schubauer, Nashville Tennessean, 12 Dec. 2025

Weekday lunch specials are even cheaper: $10 for specials such as Tex-Mex platters, a pork chop lunch or chicken Parmesan. —Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 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