antipasto
appetizer, starter
Intermediate Noun Masculine
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Pronunciation
/antiˈpasto/
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Cultural Note
The word literally means 'before the meal' (anti + pasto). In a traditional Italian meal, the order is: antipasto, primo (pasta/soup), secondo (meat/fish) with contorno (side), dolce (dessert), caffe, and sometimes digestivo. While modern Italians rarely eat all courses daily, festive meals still follow this structure religiously.
📝 Example Sentences
Come antipasto prendiamo un tagliere di salumi e formaggi.
As an appetizer let's have a board of cured meats and cheeses.
L'antipasto all'italiana e sempre generoso.
An Italian-style appetizer is always generous.
Gli antipasti erano cosi buoni che non avevamo piu fame per il primo.
The appetizers were so good that we weren't hungry anymore for the first course.