Parmesan Cheese
/ˈpɑːrməzən tʃiːz/noun
A hard, granular cheese traditionally associated with Parma and Reggio Emilia in northern Italy.
Did you know?The protected Italian cheese Parmigiano Reggiano is traditionally aged for months or years, while “Parmesan” is a broader English commercial term not always legally restricted to Italy.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Italic / Ancient Latin
Latin
caseus
“Cheese; the ancient Latin source of the English word cheese and the technical term casein.”
Old English
Old English
cēse
“Cheese; borrowed through an early West Germanic form related to Latin caseus.”
Medieval Italian
Italian
Parmigiano
“Of or from Parma, the city and surrounding territory associated with this cheese.”
13th–14th Century
Italian
formaggio parmigiano
“Parma-style cheese; references to a hard cheese from the Parma area appear in medieval Italian sources.”
16th Century
French
parmesan
“A cheese from Parma; French adopted the regional Italian adjective as the cheese name.”
Modern English
English
Parmesan cheese
“A hard, crumbly cheese name used in English for Parmigiano Reggiano and similar cheeses.”