caffè macchiato

or caf·fe mac·chia·to

[ kaf-ey mak-yah-toh, mahk-; Italian kahf-fe mahk-kyah-taw ]

noun

, plural caf·fè mac·chia·tos.

1. a hot beverage consisting of espresso and a small amount of foamed milk.

Word History and Origins

Origin of caffè macchiato¹

1985–90; < Italian: “stained (or spotted) coffee,” from caffè coffee ( def ) + macchiato, perfect partciple of macchiare “to stain, spot,” from macchia “a stain, spot,” from Latin macula ( macula ( def ), mackle ( def ) )