What does fettuccini mean?
Fettuccini is an Italian pasta made from broad, flat, ribbon-like strips of dough. It differs from spaghetti and similar long pasta in both width and texture, with its wide surfaces allowing creamy sauces to cling to them. The best-known preparation is fettuccine Alfredo, which combines fettuccini with a rich sauce of butter, cream, cheese, and egg. Fettuccini is also served with seafood, meat, vegetables, and numerous other sauces. Both “fettuccini” and “fettuccine” are established English spellings, and the former is particularly common in American usage. Although fettuccina is the corresponding Italian singular, English speakers rarely use that form when referring to the food. The word is thus both a precise name for a distinctive shape of pasta and a familiar label for one of Italian cuisine’s best-known dishes.
nounFettuccini is a type of Italian pasta made in broad, flat, ribbon-like strips. It is especially associated with creamy sauces and the dish fettuccine Alfredo.
- Wide, flat strips of Italian pasta, usually served with a sauce.
"They served fettuccini with a rich mushroom and parmesan sauce."
"I ordered fettuccini with spinach and ricotta for lunch."
"The cookbook includes a recipe for fettuccini Alfredo that is surprisingly easy to prepare."
Both plural forms are standard; “fettuccini” is especially common in American English.
"Two portions of fettuccini arrived with shaved parmesan."
Fettuccini’s Italian roots evoke the broad strips of dough from which it is cut: its name ultimately points to slices and ribbons.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does fettuccini come from?
The word was borrowed from Italian, where fettuccini is the plural of fettuccina. Fettuccina was formed from fetta, an Italian word meaning “slice” or “strip,” with a diminutive ending. Italian fetta itself derives from Latin fetta, “slice” or “ribbon,” making the word’s connection with broad strips of pasta part of its literal history.
How fettuccini is actually used
Fettuccini and fettuccine are both standard spellings in English, and either may be used for the singular or plural. The plural form fettuccini is especially common in American English, while fettuccine is frequently used for the complete dish, particularly fettuccine Alfredo.
Easily confused with fettuccini
Fettuccini consists of broad, flat ribbons, whereas linguini consists of long, narrow strands.