Cassata

//kəˈsɑtə// name, noun

name, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A type of tutti-frutti or Neapolitan ice cream with nuts and candied fruits. countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    Synonym of cassata siciliana. countable, uncountable
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname from Italian.

Etymology

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Italian cassata (“cassata siciliana”), from Sicilian cassata, probably from Vulgar Latin *cāseāta, from cāseus (“cheese”). Compare Maltese qassata (“savoury pastry with ricotta filling”), confirming that the use of ricotta cheese is what unites all of the relevant dishes (and hence probably the original meaning).

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Italian Cassata.

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.