Lasagnas

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A layered dish typically made with pasta, cheese, and various fillings
2. A popular Italian meal often baked with meat, vegetables, and a rich sauce
3. A type of casserole that can include multiple variations of ingredients between sheets of noodles

Etymology: The word "lasagnas" is simply the plural of "lasagna," and the plural is a little more interesting than it looks. "Lasagna" comes from Italian, where "lasagna" is itself the plural of "lasagnum" in its older form, borrowed from Latin "lasanum," meaning a cooking pot or chamber pot. Over time the word came to name the flat sheets of pasta, and then the baked dish built from them. English speakers mostly use the singular as a mass noun for the dish, so the plural "lasagnas" usually refers to several separate servings or several distinct versions, such as different regional or homemade recipes. Because Italian treats "lasagne" as the ordinary plural, many English writers also use "lasagne" in the same sense.

Synonyms: pasta dish, casserole