spaghetti

noun

spa·​ghet·​ti spə-ˈge-tē 

1

: pasta made in thin solid strings

2

: insulating tubing typically of varnished cloth or of plastic for covering bare wire or holding insulated wires together

spaghettilike

spə-ˈge-tē-ˌlīk 

adjective

Examples of spaghetti in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

About a decade ago, long before its Veo3 AI video generation tool could produce bizarre footage of Will Smith eating spaghetti, Google decided developing AI checking tools was folly. — Daniel Varghese, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

Sparing no detail, as my spaghetti arrived, my waiter fixed a bib over my dress to protect it from rogue splatters. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026

Unlike quiches, frittatas are crustless, but this version doesn’t skimp on satisfying carbs, thanks to coils of spaghetti that become crisp and caramelized on the edges and soft and fluffy in the eggy center. — Lizzy Briskin, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Oct. 2026

Early spaghetti model plots bring the storm into the Gulf Coast region between Friday and Sunday morning. — Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Italian, from plural of spaghetto, diminutive of spago cord, string, from Late Latin spacus

First Known Use

1874, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing spaghetti

• spaghetti squash
• spaghetti strap
• spaghetti western

Rhymes for spaghetti

• confetti
• libretti
• betty
• chetty
• jetty
• petit
• sweaty
• yeti
• spermaceti

Kids Definition

spaghetti

noun

spa·​ghet·​ti spə-ˈget-ē 

: a food made chiefly of a mixture of flour and water dried in the form of thin solid strings

Etymology

from Italian spaghetti "pasta made in long strings," from spaghetti, plural of spaghetto "little string," from spago "string"

Word Origin

The Italian word spago means "cord, string." The suffix -etto in Italian, like the suffix -ette in English, means "little one." Added together, spago and -etto become spaghetto, which means "little string." "Little string" describes very well the shape of a strand of spaghetti. The word spaghetti is actually the plural form of spaghetto.