spaghetti

[ spuh-get-ee ]

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.

spaghetti

/ spəˈɡɛtɪ /

noun

1. pasta in the form of long strings

Usage Note

See zucchini.

Word History and Origins

Origin of spaghetti¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of spaghetti¹

C19: from Italian: little cords, from spago a cord

Example Sentences

But things truly got weird when a participant asked Trump about IVF, and Trump got both gross and punchy, like a weary toddler trying to eat spaghetti.

From Salon

He didn’t just passively watch the spaghetti westerns of Sergio Leone or the grindhouse films of the 1970s, he dissected them scene by scene.

From BBC

It would be — it’s crazy — spaghetti with butter, parmesan and cottage cheese.

From Salon

In particular, a recent trend has seen people using the tool to make videos about chef Gordon Ramsay, with one such popular post seeing him skydiving while cooking spaghetti.

From BBC

While viewers at home were watching commercials for diapers and spaghetti sauce, the guests inside Peacock Theatre jumped up from their seats to buy $17 cocktails and frosty cans of Modelo beer in the lobby.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• abdominal

How Do You Spell Spaghetti?

Spelling tips for spaghetti

The word spaghetti is hard to spell because, based on how it is pronounced, you wouldn’t expect that h to be there. The double t can also be easy to miss. 

How to spell spaghetti: To remember how to properly spell spaghetti, you can think of the phrase “There is a ghost in Betty’s spaghetti.” This reminds you that there is a g followed by an h in the middle of the word, like in the spelling of ghost. It also reminds you of the ending -ett, similar to the double t you find in the word Betty.