pesto

Where does the word "pesto" come from? It comes from Genoese Italian pesto, and was adopted directly into English (1930s).

Pesto’s story begins in Genoese Italian: pesto meant “pounded, crushed.” Literally pounded, from pestare (to pound), describing the crushed herb sauce. It reached English by 1930s as pesto. Genoese 'pounded', from the mortar and pestle used to make it. Today, pesto means a sauce made from crushed basil, garlic, pine nuts, and olive oil.

1. Stage 1 · Genoese Italian · 1800s pesto "pounded, crushed", literally pounded, from pestare (to pound), describing the crushed herb sauce.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1930s pesto "a sauce of crushed basil, garlic, oil, and pine nuts", Genoese 'pounded', from the mortar and pestle used to make it.