pasta

Where does the word "pasta" come from? It comes from Greek pastē, passing through Italian before entering English (1800s).

Pasta’s story begins in Greek: pastē meant “barley porridge, paste.” A barley porridge or paste. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Italian as pasta. Came to mean dough made from flour and water. It reached English by 1800s as pasta. Italian immigrants spread dried pasta in the US; 'macaroni' had entered English much earlier. Today, pasta means a dough made from wheat and water, shaped and cooked in many forms.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient pastē "barley porridge, paste", a barley porridge or paste.
2. Stage 2 · Italian · medieval pasta "dough, pasta", came to mean dough made from flour and water.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1800s pasta "dried or fresh dough food", Italian immigrants spread dried pasta in the US; 'macaroni' had entered English much earlier.