What does panini mean?
Panini are Italian-style sandwiches made with bread that is grilled or pressed until the exterior is crisp and often bears the characteristic ridges of a panini press. They commonly contain ingredients such as mozzarella, tomato, basil, cured meats, vegetables, or pesto. The word is normally plural in English: one sandwich is a panino, while two or more are panini. Its use has spread well beyond Italy, and the term is now familiar in cafés and restaurants throughout the English-speaking world. Panini should not be confused with ordinary cold sandwiches because their bread is heated and compressed during preparation, producing a crisp exterior and a warm, softer interior. The word is especially useful for naming a specific toasted or pressed sandwich format rather than the wider category of sandwiches.
plural nounPanini are Italian-style sandwiches made with bread that is grilled or pressed, usually until crisp and lightly marked. The plural is standard in English; the corresponding singular is panino.
- Italian-style sandwiches made from bread grilled or pressed until crisp.
"We ordered two panini with roasted vegetables and mozzarella."
"The café serves panini with tomato, basil, and fresh mozzarella."
"For lunch, she chose a pressed panini rather than a cold sandwich."
Panini is the standard English plural of panino and is usually used in the plural when referring to this kind of sandwich.
"The bakery sells several kinds of panini."
One sandwich is a panino; a stack of them is panini.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does panini come from?
Panini comes from Italian, where panino means “small bread” or “bread roll,” and its plural is panini. Italian panino derives from pane, “bread,” ultimately from Latin panis, the source of cognates including English pane and pantry. The English borrowing retained the Italian plural form, although it now also occurs with other grammatical constructions in contemporary usage.
Related word forms
How panini is actually used
In English, panini is normally plural; use panino for a single sandwich. Although strongly associated with Italian cuisine, panini are now widely prepared in cafés, delis, and restaurants internationally.
Easily confused with panini
A panino is one sandwich, while panini is the standard plural form.