What does tortellini mean?
Tortellini are small parcels of Italian pasta filled with ingredients such as cheese, meat, or combinations of both. Their characteristic shape is often described as a twist or ring, and they are commonly served with tomato-based, cream-based, or butter-based sauces. The word is borrowed directly from Italian, where tortellini is the plural of tortellino, meaning “little twist.” In English, tortellini is usually treated as a plural noun: a speaker may say “a tortellino” for one piece, but “tortellini” is the normal form when referring to the dish or several pieces. Because tortellini became internationally recognizable as a pasta shape, the term is common well beyond Italy, including in restaurant menus, packaged foods, soups, and family recipes. It can refer both to the individual filled pasta pieces and, collectively, to the finished dish.
noun (plural)Tortellini are small parcels of pasta, usually filled with cheese or a meat mixture and shaped into distinctive twists or rings. The name is the Italian plural of tortellino, meaning “little twist.”
- Small Italian pasta parcels filled with cheese, meat, or other ingredients, typically shaped into twists or rings.
"We served tortellini with a rich tomato and basil sauce at dinner."
"The tortellini arrived in a creamy spinach sauce with shaved Parmesan."
"At the market, she bought fresh tortellini and a bag of basil for dinner."
Tortellini is normally a plural-only noun in English. The singular tortellino is also used, especially when referring to one piece, but tortellini is standard when discussing the food or several pieces.
"They ordered a bowl of tortellini and a plate of spaghetti."
Tortellini literally means “little twists” in Italian: their tiny, curled shape is so distinctive that the name describes the pasta itself.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does tortellini come from?
Tortellini comes from Italian, the plural of tortellino, a diminutive meaning “little twist.” Tortellino was formed from tortello, itself related to Italian torta, “cake” or “pastry,” and to the broader tradition of Latin words referring to twisting or turning. English torte is a cognate in the same broad pastry tradition, while tortelloni refers to a larger related form of stuffed pasta.
Related word forms
How tortellini is actually used
In English, “tortellini” usually functions as a plural-only noun borrowed from Italian. “Tortellino” may be used for the singular, but many speakers simply use “tortellini” to refer to the food as a dish or an unspecified quantity.
Easily confused with tortellini
Tortellini are generally smaller, often ring-shaped or twisted pasta parcels, whereas ravioli are typically larger, square or similarly shaped parcels with crimped edges.