spaghetti

American  

[spuh-get-ee] / spəˈgɛt i /

noun

1. a white, starchy pasta of Italian origin that is made in the form of long strings, boiled, and served with any of a variety of meat, tomato, or other sauces.

2. Electricity. an insulating tubing of small diameter into which bare wire can be slipped.

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spaghetti British  

/ spəˈɡɛtɪ /

noun

1. pasta in the form of long strings

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Usage

See zucchini.

Etymology

Origin of spaghetti

1885–90; < Italian, plural of spaghetto, diminutive of spago thin rope < Late Latin spacus twine, probably < Greek sphákos long-threaded lichen

Compare meaning

How does spaghetti compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• linguine vs. spaghetti
• vermicelli vs. spaghetti

Example Sentences

At home, he noticed small things, like her forgetting to add the meat to the spaghetti sauce.

From The Wall Street Journal

"I was going to cook spaghetti for dinner. But now I've changed my mind."

From Literature

Mom said as she served out three platefuls of spaghetti and meatballs.

From Literature

After a little kitchen reset, they’d open the door to spaghetti night, or roast chicken with challah, or a big pot of stew—same night, every week.

From Salon

There's a bone-white lobster, suctioned up for examination at the surface, and a horned sea cucumber whose mast-like spikes collapse into black spaghetti when it arrives on the ship.

From Barron's

Related Words

• gnocchi
• linguine
• macaroni
• ravioli
• tortellini