pesto

See also: Pesto and pestò

English

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.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛstoʊ/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛstəʊ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛstəʊ

Noun

pesto (usually uncountable, plural pestos)

1. A sauce, especially for pasta, originating from the Genoa region in Italy, made from basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and cheese (usually pecorino).
   • 2019, Ocean Vuong, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, Jonathan Cape, page 221:

     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.

Coordinate terms

• persillade
• pistou

Derived terms

• pestoed
• pestolike

Translations

an Italian sauce especially for pasta

• Arabic: بِيسْتُو m (bīstū), بِسْتُو m (bistū)

  Hijazi Arabic: بستو m (bistu, pistu)

• Belarusian: пе́ста m (pjésta)
• Bulgarian: пе́сто n (pésto)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 香蒜沙司 (xiāngsuàn shāsī), 香蒜醬 / 香蒜酱 (zh) (xiāngsuànjiàng), 罗勒酱 (zh) (luólè jiàng, literally “Basil sauce”)

• Danish: pesto (da) c
• Dutch: pesto (nl) m
• Finnish: pesto (fi), pestokastike
• French: pesto (fr) m
• German: Pesto (de) n
• Greek: πέστο (el) n (pésto)
• Hebrew: פֶּסְטוֹ (he) m (pɛsṭō)
• Hungarian: bazsalikomszósz, pesto (hu)
• Icelandic: pestó m
• Italian: pesto (it) m
• Japanese: ペスト・ジェノヴェーゼ (pesuto jenovēze), ペスト (ja) (pesuto)
• Korean: 페스토 (peseuto)
• Ligurian: pesto m
• Māori: peheto
• Neapolitan: pisto m
• Persian: پستو (fa)
• Polish: pesto (pl) n
• Russian: пе́сто (ru) m (pésto)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: пе̏сто m

  Latin: pȅsto (sh) m

• Spanish: pesto (es) m
• Swedish: pesto (sv) c
• Turkish: pesto (tr)
• Ukrainian: пе́сто m (pésto)
• Welsh: pesto m

Anagrams

• stope, potes, Topes, topes, estop, Petos, T pose, stoep, septo-, Poets, T-pose, poset, e-stop, ETOPS, Potes, poets

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [ˈpes.tu]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencia) [ˈpes.to]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Noun

pesto m (plural pestos)

1. pesto

Esperanto

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpesto/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -esto
• Syllabification: pes‧to

Noun

pesto (accusative singular peston, plural pestoj, accusative plural pestojn)

1. pestilence

Finnish

Etymology

From Italian pesto.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpesto/, [ˈpe̞s̠to̞]
• Rhymes: -esto
• Syllabification^(key): pes‧to
• Hyphenation^(key): pes‧to

Noun

pesto

1. pesto

Declension

Inflection of pesto (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation)
nominative		pesto	pestot
genitive		peston	pestojen
partitive		pestoa	pestoja
illative		pestoon	pestoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		pesto	pestot
accusative	nom.	pesto	pestot
	gen.	peston
genitive		peston	pestojen
partitive		pestoa	pestoja
inessive		pestossa	pestoissa
elative		pestosta	pestoista
illative		pestoon	pestoihin
adessive		pestolla	pestoilla
ablative		pestolta	pestoilta
allative		pestolle	pestoille
essive		pestona	pestoina
translative		pestoksi	pestoiksi
abessive		pestotta	pestoitta
instructive		—	pestoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of pesto (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative pestoni pestoni accusative nom. pestoni pestoni gen. pestoni genitive pestoni pestojeni partitive pestoani pestojani inessive pestossani pestoissani elative pestostani pestoistani illative pestooni pestoihini adessive pestollani pestoillani ablative pestoltani pestoiltani allative pestolleni pestoilleni essive pestonani pestoinani translative pestokseni pestoikseni abessive pestottani pestoittani instructive — — comitative — pestoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative pestosi pestosi accusative nom. pestosi pestosi gen. pestosi genitive pestosi pestojesi partitive pestoasi pestojasi inessive pestossasi pestoissasi elative pestostasi pestoistasi illative pestoosi pestoihisi adessive pestollasi pestoillasi ablative pestoltasi pestoiltasi allative pestollesi pestoillesi essive pestonasi pestoinasi translative pestoksesi pestoiksesi abessive pestottasi pestoittasi instructive — — comitative — pestoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative pestomme pestomme accusative nom. pestomme pestomme gen. pestomme genitive pestomme pestojemme partitive pestoamme pestojamme inessive pestossamme pestoissamme elative pestostamme pestoistamme illative pestoomme pestoihimme adessive pestollamme pestoillamme ablative pestoltamme pestoiltamme allative pestollemme pestoillemme essive pestonamme pestoinamme translative pestoksemme pestoiksemme abessive pestottamme pestoittamme instructive — — comitative — pestoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative pestonne pestonne accusative nom. pestonne pestonne gen. pestonne genitive pestonne pestojenne partitive pestoanne pestojanne inessive pestossanne pestoissanne elative pestostanne pestoistanne illative pestoonne pestoihinne adessive pestollanne pestoillanne ablative pestoltanne pestoiltanne allative pestollenne pestoillenne essive pestonanne pestoinanne translative pestoksenne pestoiksenne abessive pestottanne pestoittanne instructive — — comitative — pestoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative pestonsa pestonsa accusative nom. pestonsa pestonsa gen. pestonsa genitive pestonsa pestojensa partitive pestoaan pestoansa pestojaan pestojansa inessive pestossaan pestossansa pestoissaan pestoissansa elative pestostaan pestostansa pestoistaan pestoistansa illative pestoonsa pestoihinsa adessive pestollaan pestollansa pestoillaan pestoillansa ablative pestoltaan pestoltansa pestoiltaan pestoiltansa allative pestolleen pestollensa pestoilleen pestoillensa essive pestonaan pestonansa pestoinaan pestoinansa translative pestokseen pestoksensa pestoikseen pestoiksensa abessive pestottaan pestottansa pestoittaan pestoittansa instructive — — comitative — pestoineen pestoinensa

Derived terms

compounds

• pestokastike

Further reading

• “pesto”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 3 July 2023

Anagrams

• pesot, petos, sepot, sopet

Italian

pesto

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpes.to/
• Rhymes: -esto
• Hyphenation: pé‧sto

Etymology 1

From Latin pistus (“crushed, pounded”), from Latin pīnsō (“to pound, beat, crush”), whose frequentative also gave Italian pestare (“to pound”).

Adjective

pesto (feminine pesta, masculine plural pesti, feminine plural peste)

1. crushed, ground, beaten
2. livid, bluish, black

   occhio pesto ― black eye

3. pitch-dark, pitch-black

   buio pesto ― pitch darkness

Related terms

• cartapesta
• pestare

Noun

pesto m (plural pesti)

1. (cooking) pesto

Related terms

• pesto alla genovese
• pesto alla trapanese

Descendants

• → English: pesto
• → Turkish: pesto

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

pesto

1. first-person singular present indicative of pestare

Anagrams

• poste

Polish

pesto

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian pesto.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɛs.tɔ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛstɔ
• Syllabification: pes‧to

Noun

pesto n (indeclinable)

1. pesto (Italian sauce especially for pasta)

Further reading

• pesto in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• pesto in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian pesto.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpesto/ [ˈpes.t̪o]
• Rhymes: -esto
• Syllabification: pes‧to

Noun

pesto m (plural pestos)

1. pesto

Derived terms

• dar un pesto

Further reading

• “pesto”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Swedish

skål med pesto [bowl of pesto]

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian pesto.

Noun

pesto c

1. pesto

Declension

Declension of pesto

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	pesto	pestos
	definite	peston	pestons
plural	indefinite	—	—
	definite	—	—

See also

• basilika
• mortel
• olivolja
• parmesan
• pinjenötter
• vitlök

References

• pesto in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• pesto in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• pesto in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Welsh

Etymology

Borrowed from English pesto, from Italian pesto.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɛsdɔ/, [ˈpʰɛstɔ]

Noun

pesto m (uncountable)

1. pesto

Mutation

Mutated forms of pesto

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
pesto	besto	mhesto	phesto

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.