Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An aged, sometimes spiced Italian ham that is salted, cured by drying, and usually served in thin slices.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A dry-cured ham from Italy, thinly sliced.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun Italian salt-cured ham usually sliced paper thin

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Italian, alteration (probably influenced by prosciugare, to dry out) of presciutto, from Vulgar Latin *perexsūctus, thoroughly dried up : Latin per-, per- + Latin exsūctus, past participle of exsūgere, to suck out (ex-, ex- + sūgere, to suck; see suction).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Italian prosciutto, from Latin perexsiccātus, perfect passive participle of perexsiccō ("dry up completely").

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