rotini

noun

ro·​ti·​ni rō-ˈtē-nē How to pronounce rotini (audio)
: short, corkscrew-shaped pasta

Examples of rotini in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Get The Recipe 35 of 47 Tuna Pasta Salad A light and bright take on pasta salad using spiraled rotini and lemon-herb vinaigrette, this summer favorite packs in the fresh veggies with no mayo in sight. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 16 Feb. 2024 It's made with the same creamy four-cheese blend, paired instead with gluten-free rotini pasta made with a blend of corn, rice, lentil and quinoa flours. Endia Fontanez, The Arizona Republic, 5 Aug. 2023 Despite the abundance, there are about a dozen that dominate our plates, including spaghetti, linguine, fettucine, penne, rigatoni, rotini, farfalle, and lasagna. Lisa Zwirn, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Apr. 2023 Classic pasta salad is made with rotini or spiral pasta, a shape that does a great job holding on to the dressing. Robin Miller, USA TODAY, 31 Mar. 2022 Add the rotini and boil 8 minutes or according to package instructions. cleveland, 6 Dec. 2022 Made from yellow peas, their penne, elbows, and rotini maintain the look and feel of traditional pasta. Danielle Bernabe, Bon Appétit, 11 Apr. 2022

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Italian, plural of rotino "small wheel," from ruota "wheel" (going back to Latin rota) + -ino, diminutive suffix (going back to Latin -īnus, suffix of appurtenance) — more at roll entry 1, -ine entry 1

Note: Probably of dialectal Italian origin, as rotini does not refer to a pasta in Tuscan-based literary Italian.

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rotini was in 1949

Dictionary Entries Near rotini

Cite this Entry

“Rotini.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rotini. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.

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