pasta

n. uncountable

A1 Beginner US //ˈpɑstə// UK //pˈɑːstɐ// pas·ta

n. a popular Italian food made from flour, water, and sometimes eggs. It comes in many shapes like long strings or small tubes and is usually boiled before you eat it with a sauce.

n. a type of food made from an unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or eggs, formed into various shapes and cooked by boiling. Often associated with Italian cuisine.

SIMPLE

I usually cook pasta for dinner when I am in a hurry.

CONTEXTUAL

The chef tossed the fresh pasta with olive oil, garlic, and a handful of chopped parsley.

COMPLEX

While dried pasta is a pantry staple due to its long shelf life, many traditional recipes specifically call for fresh egg pasta to achieve a more delicate texture.

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Italian pasta (“paste; pasta, noodles”), from Late Latin pasta (“dough, pastry cake, paste”), from Ancient Greek παστά (pastá, “barley porridge”), neuter plural of παστός (pastós, “sprinkled with salt”), from Ancient Greek πάσσω (pássō, “to sprinkle”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₁t- (“to shake”). Doublet of paste. Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)kweh₁t-der. Ancient Greek πάσσω (pássō) Proto-Indo-European *-tós Ancient Greek -τός (-tós) Ancient Greek παστός (pastós) Ancient Greek παστά (pastá)bor. Late Latin pasta Italian pastabor. English pasta

Etymology 2

Etymology tree Latin cōps Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Latin cōpia Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin cōpiō Old French copierbor. Middle English copien English copy Proto-Indo-European *(s)kweh₁t-der. Ancient Greek πάσσω (pássō) Proto-Indo-European *-tós Ancient Greek -τός (-tós) Ancient Greek παστός (pastós) Ancient Greek παστά (pastá)bor. Late Latin pasta Old French pastebor. Middle English paste English paste English copy-paste ▲ Late Latin pasta Italian pastabor. English pasta blend English copypastaclip. English pasta Clipping of copypasta.

Etymology 3

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)kweh₁t-der. Ancient Greek πάσσω (pássō) Proto-Indo-European *-tós Ancient Greek -τός (-tós) Ancient Greek παστός (pastós) Ancient Greek παστά (pastá)bor. Late Latin pasta Philippine Spanish pastabor. English pasta Borrowed from Philippine Spanish pasta, from Late Latin pasta (“dough, pastry cake, paste”), from Ancient Greek παστά (pastá, “barley porridge”).

Usage

Uncountable when referring to the food in general; can be countable when referring to specific types or varieties.