macaronic

[mak-uh-ron-ik]

adjective

1. composed of or characterized by Latin words mixed with vernacular words or non-Latin words given Latin endings.

2. composed of a mixture of languages.

3. mixed; jumbled.

   His bureau drawer was a macaronic hodgepodge of unmatched socks.

noun

1. macaronics, macaronic language.

2. a macaronic verse or other piece of writing.

macaronic

/ ˌmækəˈrɒnɪk /

adjective

1. (of verse) characterized by a mixture of vernacular words jumbled together with Latin words or Latinized words or with words from one or more other foreign languages

noun

1. (often plural) macaronic verse

Other Word Forms

• macaronically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of macaronic¹

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; macaroni, -ic

Word History and Origins

Origin of macaronic¹

C17: from New Latin macarōnicus, literally: resembling macaroni (in lack of sophistication); see _macaroni

Example Sentences

A pun that spans multiple languages—behold the haute dog, a genteel frankfurter—is called “macaronic,” from the Latin word for “medley.”

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The cinema is incredibly macaronic and incredibly deep.

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Its macaronic style is rendered peculiarly perplexing to the foreigner by the frequent introduction of words and phrases from the Mantuan patois.

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This has become almost the national song of the Basques.29 A few words on two other classes of songs, the drinking and the macaronic, must conclude our remarks.

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The two cardinals indulge in an astounding macaronic jargon, the one of Italian mingled with Latin, the other of Latin mingled with French.

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