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

Ricotta gnocchi takes after the Parisian model, finished in a pan until each piece has a deep-brown oval sear, arriving simply sauced in lemon and fragrant black pepper under a blanket of Parmesan. —Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026

Inspired by the King of Cheeses, cheeses labeled Parmesan will have a similar, but often less complex taste. —Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 8 Jan. 2026

Layered in butter, cream, garlic, Parmesan and green spinach that some versions of its origin story say represents the man’s vast fortune, it was first conceived in New Orleans’ Antoine’s Restaurant in 1899, where a shortage of escargot necessitated some creative moves from chef Jules Alciatore. —Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Jan. 2026

Use nondairy butter and Parmesan. —The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Jan. 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
• 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