macaronic

American  

[mak-uh-ron-ik] / ˌmæk əˈrɒn ɪk /

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.

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noun

1. macaronics, macaronic language.

2. a macaronic verse or other piece of writing.

macaronic British  

/ 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

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noun

1. (often plural) macaronic verse

Other Word Forms

• macaronically adverb

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; 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."

Example Sentences

He is fed a macaronic tangle of lines that would have choked the poet prince.

From Time Magazine Archive

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 Scott, Walter, Sir

Grace was said by the Professor of Divinity, in a macaronic Latin, which I could by no means follow, only I could hear it rhymed, and I guessed it to be more witty than reverent.

From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 20 (of 25) by Stevenson, Robert Louis

On the other hand, it is argued that both Latin and French sermons were pronounced as each might seem suitable, before the laity, and that the macaronic style was actually practised in the pulpit.

From A History of French Literature Short Histories of the Literatures of the World: II. by Gosse, Edmund

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