Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pesto

/ˈpɛstoʊ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.88 in modern English

Syllables: pesto
IPA: /ˈpɛstoʊ/

7

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A sauce, especially for pasta, originating from the Genoa region in Italy, made from basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and cheese (usually pecorino).

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"For variation, easy cooking and good eating, slather some pesto on the fish of your choice and bake."
"Inside the house, Paul is in the kitchen bent over a bowl of pesto: thick shiny basil leaves, machete-crushed garlic cloves, pine nuts, onions roasted till their gold edges blacken, and the bright scent of lemon zest."

Etymology

Appears 1850 in Cottage economy, attributed to William Cobbett (but not found in any editions published during his life). From Italian pesto, from Latin pistus (“crushed, pounded”), from Latin pīnsō (“to pound, beat, crush”). Cognate to pestle.

Origin

Source language: Italian

Word Breakdown

Root: *peys-, pesto, pistus, pīnsō

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈpɛstoʊ/
British English: /ˈpɛstəʊ/

Usage

Uncountable

Inflected Forms

pestos (plural)

Derived Forms

pestoed pestolike

Frequently Paired Words

persillade pistou

Rhymes With

presto

Questions

How do you pronounce pesto?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpɛstoʊ/.
What does pesto mean?: A sauce, especially for pasta, originating from the Genoa region in Italy, made from basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and cheese (usually pecorino).
Where does pesto come from?: It is traced to Italian.

How to pronounce pesto

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “pesto”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈpɛstoʊ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “pesto”.
Repeat and practice — Say “pesto” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.