Meanings
- uncountableA form of pasta the size and shape of grains of rice or barley; often used in soups.
Apart from the classic side dishes, it offers dozens more, among them herbed orzo, baked black beans with sour cream, broccoli puree with creme fraiche; […]
1988 November 13, M. H. Reed, “‘Clean Eating’ for the Holidays”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLCSynonyms: risoni
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA form of pasta the size and shape of grains of rice or barley; often used in soups.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*ǵʰr̥sdeyom“bristly”
- Latinhordeum
- Italianorzo“barley”
- Englishorzo
Borrowed from Italian orzo (“barley”), from Latin hordeum, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰr̥sdeyom (“bristly”). Doublet of orgeat and horchata.
More words from Italian, Latin, Proto-Indo-European
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian кускус
- кускус (kuskus)barley-shaped pasta used in soups
Dutch orzo
- orzobarley-shaped pasta used in soups
Finnish risoni, orzo
- risonibarley-shaped pasta used in soups
- orzobarley-shaped pasta used in soups
- jyväpastabarley-shaped pasta used in soups
German Nudelreis
- Nudelreisbarley-shaped pasta used in soups
Italian risoni
- risonibarley-shaped pasta used in soups
Japanese オルゾー
- オルゾー (oruzō)barley-shaped pasta used in soups
Polish orzo
- orzobarley-shaped pasta used in soups
Russian ризо́ни
- ризо́ни (rizóni)barley-shaped pasta used in soups
Spanish orzo
- orzobarley-shaped pasta used in soups
Swedish risoni
- risonibarley-shaped pasta used in soups
Turkish arpa şehriye
- arpa şehriyebarley-shaped pasta used in soups
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
orzo. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orzo
“orzo.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orzo. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “orzo,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orzo.
Source: orzo on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.