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

Esra Ward, who is running a pizza stall at the market, saw the whole thing unfold.

From BBC

Another time, I received half a container of meatballs in red sauce, which I transformed into a pizza topped with olives and roasted red peppers.

From Salon

“If there was a charity event, most of the girls would just be standing around smiling and Jackie was making the pizzas, hanging the coats, welcoming everybody at the door.”

From Los Angeles Times

As his team hunched over computers eating takeaway pizza, he raged about the obstructionist behaviour of many of the other teams at the conference.

From BBC

Fresh Brothers, the Southern California pizza chain, will expand into a national brand after being acquired this week by a Chicago-based company.

From Los Angeles Times