Risotto
/rɪˈzɒt.oʊ/noun
An Italian dish of rice slowly cooked in broth until it becomes creamy.
Did you know?The Italian word risotto is built from riso, meaning “rice,” with the suffix -otto, which can suggest a diminutive or modified form; the dish itself became especially associated with northern Italy.
Etymological Timeline
2nd millennium BCE or earlier
Sanskrit
vrīhí
“Rice; an early form connected with the international family of rice words, though the ultimate pathway is debated.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ὄρυζα (óruza)
“Rice; the source of the scientific form oryza and a major Mediterranean link in the word’s history.”
1st Century BCE–1st Century CE
Latin
oryza
“Rice; a Latin borrowing from Greek.”
Medieval Italian
Italian
riso
“Rice; descended from Latin oryza through sound changes in Italian.”
19th Century
Italian
risotto
“A rice dish, formed from riso with the Italian suffix -otto.”
Modern English
English
risotto
“A creamy Italian rice dish, borrowed from Italian.”