ENGLISH
REFERENCE

pasta

n.
US //ˈpɑstə// UK //pˈɑːstɐ// pas·ta
  1. 1 the food ingredient (n.)
    A1 Beginner Cooking

    a food made from flour and water that comes in many shapes like spaghetti or macaroni.

    the substance or dough made from durum wheat and water, often dried and sold in various geometric forms.

    Example

    I always keep a box of dried pasta in the cupboard for a quick dinner.

    Example

    The chef insists on making fresh pasta every morning, claiming the texture is superior to any commercial dried variety.
  2. 2 a prepared meal (n.)
    A1 Beginner Cooking

    a dish or a serving of cooked pasta.

    a culinary dish consisting primarily of cooked pasta, typically served with a sauce.

    Example

    We ordered a delicious tomato pasta at the Italian restaurant.

    Example

    After a long day of hiking, a hearty bowl of pasta provided the necessary carbohydrates for recovery.
  3. 3 internet meme text (n.)
    C1 Advanced Slang Informal Computing

    a block of text that people copy and paste many times on the internet, often as a joke.

    a block of text, often a story or meme, that is copied and pasted across social media or message boards.

    Example

    That funny story about the gorilla is just an old pasta from ten years ago.

    Example

    The forum was flooded with the same pasta, making it difficult for users to engage in any meaningful discussion.

    Usage

    Shortened form of 'copypasta'; used almost exclusively in digital contexts.
    • copypasta
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”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Last updated June 20, 2026