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

Remove the Dutch oven from the oven, lift off the lid, and stir in a glug of white wine, 1 more cup of chicken stock, some freshly-grated Parmesan cheese, a couple of pats of butter, plus a pinch of kosher salt and a bit of black pepper, to taste. —Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 May 2026

Parmesan Tapenade One of the best parts about a Southern summer is just how much visiting happens. —Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 28 May 2026

Sprinkle each with about 1 teaspoon of the Parmesan and bake until warmed through and nicely browned, 20 to 30 minutes. —The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 May 2026

Thin slices of Parmesan melt gently over the pork, adding a rich, nutty finish to the dish. —Linda Gassenheimer, Boston Herald, 20 May 2026

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
• cynodon
• denouement
• deuteron
• echelon
• epsilon

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