Pastas

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of food made from wheat flour and water, often shaped into various forms and typically served with sauce or in soups
2. A staple of Italian cuisine that includes varieties like spaghetti, penne, and ravioli, commonly enjoyed in diverse dishes
3. A versatile culinary ingredient known for its different textures and shapes, used in both savory and sweet recipes across various cultures

Etymology: The plural "pastas" comes from "pasta," which English borrowed from Italian, where the word simply meant dough or paste. Italian took it from Late Latin "pasta," which in turn came from Greek "pasté," a thick porridge of barley seasoned with salt. That Greek sense points to the root "pássein," meaning "to sprinkle," since the salt was scattered over the grain. Wheat dough was not the original meaning at all. Over time, "pasta" narrowed to the flour-and-water dough that Italian cooks shaped into the many forms now associated with the word.

Synonyms: noodles, spaghetti, macaroni, fettuccine, linguine