passate

Passate is a term used in Italian with at least two distinct meanings, depending on context.

As an adjective, passate is the feminine plural form of passate? Actually the feminine plural of the adjective passato is passate, used to describe feminine plural nouns meaning "past" or "former." It agrees with the noun in gender and number, as in settimane passate (past weeks) or esperienze passate (past experiences). In this grammatical sense, passate refers to things that have already occurred or are no longer current.

As a noun, passata refers to tomato purée, and the plural form passate can appear when speaking of multiple purées or batches, especially in culinary or labeling contexts. Passata di pomodoro is a smooth sauce made by sieving cooked tomatoes. This product differs from polpa di pomodoro (tomato pulp) and from pelati (whole peeled tomatoes). In everyday use, most people refer to the product in the singular as passata, while passate di pomodoro might be used when distinguishing several varieties or containers.

Etymology: both senses derive from passare, the verb meaning to pass or to go through; passata is the feminine singular noun form derived from the participial stem, while passati/passate reflect masculine/feminine plural agreement of the adjective or noun.

Usage notes: the meaning of passate is determined by surrounding words. When describing time or events, it is the feminine plural adjective; when referring to tomato purée, it is related to the noun passata, with passate used mainly in plural or compound expressions like passate di pomodoro.