In the USA, “scampi” is often the menu name for shrimp in Italian-American cuisine (the actual word for “shrimp” in Italian is gambero or gamberetto, plural gamberi or gamberetti. The term “scampi”, by itself, is also the name of a dish of shrimp  served in garlic butter and dry white wine, served either with bread, or over pasta or rice, although sometimes just the shrimp alone. Most variants of the “shrimp scampi” come on pasta. The word “scampi” is often construed as that style of preparation rather than an ingredient, with that preparation being called “shrimp scampi”, and with variants such as “chicken scampi”.

Scampi is the Italian plural of scampo, meaning prawn, but it can be used as singular, plural, or uncountable in English. The Italian word may be derived from the Greek kampē (“bending” or “winding”).

It’s a delicious easy to make dish you really ought to try – don’t overcook the shrimp as they can become rubbery with overcooking. Use fresh garlic, not that jar stuff with chemicals.

Source: Wikipedia & Commentary