pizza

[ peet-suh ]

noun

1. a flat, open-faced baked pie of Italian origin, consisting of a thin layer of bread dough topped with spiced tomato sauce and cheese, often garnished with anchovies, sausage slices, mushrooms, etc.

pizza

/ ˈpiːtsə /

noun

1. a dish of Italian origin consisting of a baked disc of dough covered with cheese and tomatoes, usually with the addition of mushrooms, anchovies, sausage, or ham

Word History and Origins

Origin of pizza¹

1930–35; < Italian pizza (variant pitta ), perhaps ultimately < Greek; Cf. pḗtea bran, pētítēs bran bread

Word History and Origins

Origin of pizza¹

C20: from Italian, perhaps from Vulgar Latin picea (unattested), from Latin piceus relating to pitch ²; perhaps related to Modern Greek pitta cake

Example Sentences

Paul Mescal, the actor charged with donning a breastplate and replacing Russell Crowe, is mingling with the crowd, who, given the movie’s length and dinner-hour start time, are almost too busy scarfing down pizza and pasta to notice.

From Los Angeles Times

Bitcoin now underpins a two trillion-dollar cryptocurrency industry - but the first recorded transaction using it was the purchase of pizza.

From BBC

When Lily was eating pizza at a restaurant with her mum and older sister, a paraglider "came from nowhere", Ms Logan said.

From BBC

McCoy Rigby Entertainment — which repeatedly brought Cathy Rigby and “Peter Pan” to Broadway and on the road, and is transferring a “Mystic Pizza” musical to New Jersey’s Paper Mill Playhouse next year — has been hired to stage La Mirada Theatre’s seasons for 31 years and counting.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s a sunny Saturday afternoon and the District 1 candidates have gathered for a meet-and-greet pizza party with voters in Luuwit View Park.

From Salon