spaghetti

noun

spa·​ghet·​ti spə-ˈge-tē 

1

: pasta made in thin solid strings

2

: insulating tubing typically of varnished cloth or of plastic for covering bare wire or holding insulated wires together

spaghettilike

spə-ˈge-tē-ˌlīk 

adjective

Examples of spaghetti in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

With six different pasta shape options, including spaghetti, fettuccine, penne, lasagna/dumplings, angel hair, and thick spaghetti/ramen, he will be spoiled for choice. —Nora Colomer, Fox News, 14 June 2024

The San Diego spot may also be the only lesbian bar in the world that offers an all-you-can-eat spaghetti night (on Mondays). —Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 May 2024

Add the spaghetti and cook for 9-10 minutes or according to package instructions. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 28 May 2024

Dinner main course options include Dover sole, lobster tail with spaghetti pasta, veal rib chop, duck breast, and rack of lamb. —Elaine Rewolinski, Journal Sentinel, 26 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Italian, from plural of spaghetto, diminutive of spago cord, string, from Late Latin spacus

First Known Use

1874, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing spaghetti

• spaghetti squash
• spaghetti strap
• spaghetti western

Kids Definition

spaghetti

noun

spa·​ghet·​ti spə-ˈget-ē 

: a food made chiefly of a mixture of flour and water dried in the form of thin solid strings

Etymology

from Italian spaghetti "pasta made in long strings," from spaghetti, plural of spaghetto "little string," from spago "string"

Word Origin

The Italian word spago means "cord, string." The suffix -etto in Italian, like the suffix -ette in English, means "little one." Added together, spago and -etto become spaghetto, which means "little string." "Little string" describes very well the shape of a strand of spaghetti. The word spaghetti is actually the plural form of spaghetto.