Standard Lemma guide

parmesan

adj · noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈpɑːmɪˌzæn/
  • UK: /ˌpɑːmɪˈzæn/
  • US: /ˈpɑː(ɹ).məˌzɑːn/
  • Australian: /ˈpɑːməˌzən/
  • /ˈpɑː(ɹ).məˌzɑːn/ UK, also found in the US
  • /ˈpɑɹ.məˌʒɑn/ General American, hyperforeign
  • Australian: /ˈpɑːməzən/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with (UK) -æn
  • CMU ARPABET: P AA1 R M AH0 Z AA2 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of, from or relating to the city or province of Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma or its neighboring province Reggio Emilia.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Parmigiano-Reggiano, reggiano

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: hard cheese, cheese, dairy product, food

3

noun

Meaning 3

A similar cheese produced elsewhere.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, uncountable, usually

Examples

  • Most of the parmesan in our grocery store comes from Wisconsin.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: hard cheese, cheese, dairy product, food

4

noun

Meaning 4

Money.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: slang, uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cheddar

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A native or inhabitant of the city or province of Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

Alternative form of parmesan (a kind of cheese).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, alternative, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

hard dry sharp-flavored Italian cheese; often grated

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: cheese

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French parmesan, from an earlier Vulgar Latin *parmēsānus, restructuring of Latin parmēnsis (from Latin Parma). Compare Italian parmigiano, Catalan parmesà, Portuguese parmesão, Sicilian parmisanu, Spanish parmesano

Across languages

Translations

57 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: parmesà — from Parma
  • French: parmesan — from Parma
  • Galician: parmesano — from Parma
  • Italian: parmigiano — from Parma
  • Italian: parmense — from Parma
  • Portuguese: parmesão — from Parma
  • Portuguese: parmense — from Parma
  • Sicilian: parmisanu — from Parma
  • Spanish: parmesano — from Parma
  • Arabic: بَارْمِيجْيَانُو (bārmījyānū) — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Arabic: بَارْمِيزَان (bārmīzān) — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Arabic: بارميزان (barmizan) — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Armenian: պարմեզան (parmezan) — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Catalan: parmesà — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Chinese Mandarin: 巴馬乾酪 /巴马干酪 (Bāmǎ gānlào) — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Chinese Mandarin: 帕馬森起司 /帕马森起司 — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Corsican: parmigianu — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Corsican: parmighjanu — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Corsican: parmisanu — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Czech: parmazán — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Czech: parmezán — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Dutch: parmezaan — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Dutch: parmezaankaas — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Finnish: parmesaani — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • French: parmesan — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Galician: parmesano — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • German: Parmesan — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • German: Parmesankäse — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Hawaiian: waiūpaʻa pamesana — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Hungarian: parmezán — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Irish: parmasán — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Irish: cáis Parma — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Italian: parmigiano — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Japanese: パルメザン (parumezan) — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Japanese: パルミジャーノ (parumijāno) — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Korean: 파르메산 (pareumesan) — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Korean: 파마산 (pamasan) — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Maltese: parmeġġan — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Norwegian Bokmål: parmesan — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: parmesan — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Polish: parmezan — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Portuguese: parmesão — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Romanian: parmezan — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Russian: пармеза́н (parmezán) — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Sicilian: parmisanu — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Sicilian: parmicianu — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Spanish: parmesano — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Swedish: parmesan — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Swedish: parmesanost — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Turkish: parmasan peyniri — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Yiddish: פּאַרמעזאַן (parmezan) — hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
  • Catalan: parmesà — someone from Parma
  • Galician: parmesano — someone from Parma
  • Italian: parmense — someone from Parma
  • Portuguese: parmesão — someone from Parma
  • Portuguese: parmense — someone from Parma
  • Spanish: parmesano — someone from Parma