: a French liqueur flavored with aniseed

Examples of pastis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
On East Passyunk Avenue, Supérette is a lively French wine bar, market and bottle shop where rosé and pastis are enjoyed with snacks like duck prosciutto and raclette sandwiches. — Regan Stephens, New York Times, 2 July 2026 Pastis One of the most quintessential French aperitivo moments comes in the form of pastis, especially in the south. — Jillian Dara, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026 Parisians preferred starting the evening with an apéritif like Provence-favorite pastis or French bitter Suze. — Lane Nieset, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 June 2026 Sprinkle them with the saffron, pastis or Pernod if using, fennel seeds and salt, and then drizzle over the olive oil. — Georgeanne Brennan, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pastis

Word History

Etymology

French, from French dialect (Marseilles), literally, jumble, kind of pastry, from Occitan, from Old Occitan pastitz cake, from Vulgar Latin *pasticium

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pastis was in 1926

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pastis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pastis. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on pastis

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster