Pasta
/ˈpæstə/noun
A food made from unleavened dough, typically from wheat flour and water, formed into various shapes and cooked by boiling.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Greek *pastē*, meaning a barley porridge or paste, and passed through Latin into Italian before becoming the global name for noodles.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
pastē
“a barley porridge or paste”
Latin
Latin
pasta
“dough, paste, or pastry”
Medieval Italian
Italian
pasta
“dough; later, a food made from dough”
16th–17th Century
English
paste
“a soft, moist mass; later, a dough-like substance”
Modern English
English
pasta
“Italian-style noodles or similar dough-based foods”