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

How to appreciate spaghetti squash without always pretending it’s pastaHoney Mustard Glazed Salmon With Endive and Green Apple Salad.

From Washington Post

We often had spaghetti with mushrooms, which he called “shroons.”

From Nautilus

Stir in the basil and serve over the roasted spaghetti squash.

From Washington Post

So as the day wore on I joined a crowd on the roof of a restaurant and they fed us spaghetti.

From Nautilus

This difference in gravity’s pull stretches the object into a thin string, like a piece of spaghetti.

From Science News For Students

The future congressman also had some spaghetti but no sauce.

From The Daily Beast

A lot of spaghetti with marinara-type sauces are made with the packaged meats.

From The Daily Beast

The ochre spaghetti you get looks steampunk, but tastes just fine.

From The Daily Beast

Another shovels strings of rubber bands into his mouth like spaghetti, provoking more caterwauling from the judges.

From The Daily Beast

And he bore an uncannily resemblance to the spaghetti monster sketch.

From The Daily Beast

Gatti watched the fat, red faced man wielding fork and knife, eating the spaghetti with great relish.

From Project Gutenberg

La Villari had just begun her luncheon, and the spaghetti al burro e formaggio lay in a goodly heap of pale gold on her plate.

From Project Gutenberg

Italian opera was made possible by the discovery of spaghetti, the serpentine food that produces coloratura tissue.

From Project Gutenberg

There were cold raw oysters, bits of ice, thistles, cooked spaghetti and plain granulated sugar.

From Project Gutenberg

Boil a pound of spaghetti in three quarts of water and a little salt.

From Project Gutenberg

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.