al den·te (?l d?n?t?, äl d?n?t?)adj. Cooked enough to be firm but not soft: pasta al dente.[Italian : al, to the + dente, tooth.]al den?te adv.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.al dente (al ?d?nte) adj (Cookery) (of a pasta dish) cooked so as to be firm when eaten[literally: to the tooth]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014al den?te (æl ?d?n te?, -ti) adj., adv. (esp. of pasta) cooked but still firm to the bite. [1945?50; Italian: literally, to the tooth] Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.al dentePasta which has been cooked so that it is just firm to the bite.Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited