Linguine
/lɪŋˈɡwiːni/noun
A type of pasta shaped like narrow flat ribbons.
Did you know?Linguine is an Italian diminutive of *lingua* (“tongue”), and that same Latin root also gave English words tied to speech, so this pasta is etymologically speaking with your mouth.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
lingua
“tongue; speech; language”
Medieval Italian
Italian
lingua
“tongue; language”
Italian
Italian
linguine
“small tongues; narrow ribbon-shaped pasta”
18th–19th Century
Italian
linguine
“a pasta shape resembling little tongues”
Modern English
English
linguine
“narrow flat pasta strands”
Explore more surprising origins