macaronic
Americanadjective
-
composed of or characterized by Latin words mixed with vernacular words or non-Latin words given Latin endings.
-
composed of a mixture of languages.
-
mixed; jumbled.
His bureau drawer was a macaronic hodgepodge of unmatched socks.
noun
-
macaronics, macaronic language.
-
a macaronic verse or other piece of writing.
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of macaronic
First recorded in 1605–15; from New Latin macarōnicus, from dialectal Italian maccarone (from the association of macaroni as peasant food with the vernacular language of peasants) + Latin -icus; see origin at macaroni, -ic
Explanation
Something that's macaronic uses elements, like inflections or specific words, from another language. If you insert Latin words and phrases into your everyday speech, you can call it macaronic. The adjective macaronic most often describes a satirical writing style that adds Latin endings to everyday language, or uses puns made from a combination of two languages. The word's root is the dialectal Italian maccarone, "pasty food," or "dumpling," thought of as "peasant food," reflecting its sometimes derogatory intent. Macaronic writing is often funny, showing up in humorous poems, novels, and films. In speech, this style is sometimes called "code-switching."
Vocabulary lists containing macaronic
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.
He is fed a macaronic tangle of lines that would have choked the poet prince.
From Time Magazine Archive
Macaron′ic, a confused heap, a medley: a macaronic poem.—adjs.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various
"The other day he said to me in his macaronic Italian: "'Mr. Spaniard, I have good eyesight, good hearing, a good sense of smell, and... lots of sentiment.'
From Cæsar or Nothing by Louis How
Some of the triplets appear to me very poor, and hardly above macaronic Latin.
From Notes and Queries, Number 39, July 27, 1850 by Various
A similar story is told of the Duke of Vendome, who answered in this sort of macaronic Latin the classical expostulations of a German convent against the imposition of a contribution.
From Quentin Durward by Sir Walter Scott
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
