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vermicelli

American  
[vur-mi-chel-ee, -sel-ee] / ˌvɜr mɪˈtʃɛl i, -ˈsɛl i /

noun

  1. a kind of pasta in the form of long, slender, solid threads, resembling spaghetti but thinner.


vermicelli British  
/ vermiˈtʃɛlli, ˌvɜːmɪˈsɛlɪ /

noun

  1. very fine strands of pasta, used in soups

  2. tiny chocolate strands used to coat cakes, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of vermicelli

1660–70; < Italian, plural of vermicello, diminutive of verme worm < Latin vermis

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Serve them with a sweet chili dipping sauce or fresh lettuce leaves and rice vermicelli noodles.

From Salon • Aug. 7, 2025

On the bar food, staples of vermicelli noodles and sandwiches get gussied up with marbled beef and other high end meats.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 17, 2023

Across the street from the Sahutoglus’ home, residents emerged from tents with plastic containers and congregated outside the narrow storefront, where they were served scoops of red soup and vermicelli noodles.

From New York Times • Feb. 24, 2023

Add the rice, vermicelli, curry powder, ginger, sugar and salt, and stir to combine.

From Washington Post • Feb. 5, 2023

Neglecting the new shipments delivered to the storage room, she began hounding us for recipes, for vermicelli pudding and papaya stew, and inscribed them in crooked letters in the pages of her inventory ledger.

From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri