noun

gnocchi

NYO-kee

noun

Small, soft dumplings made from potato or semolina, typically served with a sauce.

"We ordered gnocchi with a simple sage and butter sauce."

"Homemade gnocchi should be light, not dense or gluey."

How to Use Gnocchi

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishSoft little potato or flour dumplings, an Italian pasta alternative.

Common mistake

It is already plural in Italian, but English speakers commonly treat "gnocchi" as a mass noun ("the gnocchi is delicious"), which is standard usage.

Common pairings

potato gnocchi gnocchi with sauce homemade gnocchi

Word Forms

gnocchi plural, gnocchis plural, gnocco singular

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We ordered _____ with a simple sage and butter sauce.

Etymology

From Italian gnocchi, the plural of gnocco ("lump"), related to a word for a knot or knuckle in wood — the dumplings are named for their small, knobbly shape.