parmesan

Where does the word "parmesan" come from? It comes from Italian Parma, and was adopted directly into English (1500s).

Parmesan’s story begins in Italian: Parma meant “an Italian city name.” A city in northern Italy famous for its hard, aged cheese. It reached English by 1500s as parmesan. Samuel Pepys buried his parmesan in 1666 to save it from the Great Fire of London. Today, parmesan means a hard, granular Italian cheese, traditionally aged and grated.

1. Stage 1 · Italian · medieval Parma "an Italian city name", a city in northern Italy famous for its hard, aged cheese.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1500s parmesan "a hard, aged Italian cheese", Samuel Pepys buried his parmesan in 1666 to save it from the Great Fire of London.