pitta

Meanings

1. 1nouncountablebiology

   A small, plump, brightly marked bird with long legs and a short tail that hops about on the floor of tropical forests.

   Grammar: A bird name; plural is pittas: two pittas were seen.

   Patterns

   • a pitta in the forest

   Birdwatchers waited an hour to glimpse a blue-winged pitta on the forest floor.

   The pitta hopped over the leaf litter, searching for snails.

   A pitta is hard to spot because it stays in dense undergrowth.

2. 2nouncountable or uncountableBritish

   A flat, round bread that puffs up when baked, leaving a pocket that can be filled; the usual British spelling of pita.

   Grammar: Used for one piece or the bread in general: a pitta; some pitta.

   Patterns

   • pitta with something
   • pitta filled with something

   He stuffed a warm pitta with falafel and salad.

   We bought a pack of wholemeal pitta from the supermarket.

   She dipped a strip of pitta into the hummus.

Word forms

Common combinations

blue pitta

The blue pitta is a prized find for bird photographers.

pitta bread

The lamb was served with warm pitta bread.

wholemeal pitta

I prefer wholemeal pitta to white.

toast a pitta

Toast a pitta for a minute until it puffs up.

pitta pocket

She filled each pitta pocket with chicken.

Synonyms and how they differ

pita

Pita is the American spelling of the bread and means the same.

flatbread

Flatbread covers many types of unleavened bread, whereas pitta is the specific kind with a pocket.

Word family

pitta bread noun

the full name for the flatbread

pita noun

the American spelling of the bread

Pittidae proper noun

the scientific family of the birds

Commonly confused: pitta or pita? pitta or pitter?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “pitta”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words