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.

  1. 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.

Origin of macaronic

1
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

Other words from macaronic

  • mac·a·ron·i·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for macaronic

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

Origin of macaronic

1
C17: from New Latin macarōnicus, literally: resembling macaroni (in lack of sophistication); see macaroni

Derived forms of macaronic

  • macaronically, adverb

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