macaroni

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noun mac·a·ro·ni \ ˌma-kə-ˈrō-nē \

Definition of macaroni

1 :pasta made from semolina and shaped in the form of slender tubes

2 plural macaronis or macaronies

[Macaroni Club, a group of such Englishmen]

a :a member of a class of traveled young Englishmen of the late 18th and early 19th centuries who affected foreign ways

b :an affected young man :fop

3 :macaroni penguin

See macaroni defined for English-language learners

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Examples of macaroni in a Sentence

the glitter rock of the 1970s seemed more about mascaraed macaronis than about music

Recent Examples of macaroni from the Web

Kraft macaroni and cheese shimmering in a pool of butter and milk.

— lindsay hunter, Longreads, "You Are a Jigsaw Puzzle with Missing Food-Shaped Pieces," 15 Aug. 2017
For your choice of sides, go with the decadent Mac Balls, macaroni and cheese rolled with bacon and fried in duck fat, then tossed in white truffle oil.

— katie kiefner, Vogue, "Is This Old Southern Town the Next Brooklyn?," 31 July 2017
Offerings could include baked chicken, meatloaf, green beans, collard greens, macaroni and cheese, shrimp and grits, chicken tetrazzini and quiche with salad.

— lucy berry, AL.com, "Hot Chicken Kitchen Nashville Style closes in Madison," 15 July 2017
Phthalates have been found in macaroni and cheese mixes made with powdered cheese.

— roni caryn rabin, The Seattle Times, "What’s in your child’s mac and cheese? Toxic chemicals, a new study says," 13 July 2017
A little BBQ and some macaroni and cheese inside a Miami Marlins batting helmet at Marlins Park.

— george richards, miamiherald, "Food at Marlins Park earns Miami another All-Star selection," 9 July 2017
But U.S. stockpiles of the high-protein durum wheat used in pasta noodles including spaghetti and macaroni are the biggest in 11 years, left over from a harvest last season that was the largest since 2009.

— jeff wilson, Bloomberg.com, "Fear Not, Pasta Lovers: Your Meal Is Safe From Wheat Price Surge," 5 July 2017
Stuck a feather in his cap, And called it macaroni.

— sam roberts, New York Times, "A Patriotic Tune, Perched on a Branch of a Family Tree," 3 July 2017
Combine mayonnaise and sour cream and add to macaroni mixture.

— rebecca hancock, star-telegram, "You’ll be a Yankee Doodle hit with these recipe selections," 27 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'macaroni.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

As you may have suspected, the macaroni in the song "Yankee Doodle" is not the familiar food. The feather in Yankee Doodle's cap apparently makes him a macaroni in the now rare "fop" or "dandy" sense. The sense appears to have originated with a club established in London by a group of young, well-traveled Englishmen in the 1760s. The founders prided themselves on their appearance, sense of style, and manners, and they chose the name Macaroni Club to indicate their worldliness. Because macaroni was, at the time, a new and rather exotic food in England, the name was meant to demonstrate how stylish the club's members were. The members were themselves called macaronis, and eventually macaroni became synonymous with dandy and fop.

Origin and Etymology of macaroni

borrowed from regional Italian, plural of macarone (Tuscan maccherone) "tubular pasta," earlier also "stuffed pasta of various shapes," probably borrowed from Middle Greek makarṓneia "funeral hymn," later with the presumed meaning "food served at a funeral banquet" (whence Modern Greek dialect makarōniá in this sense), of uncertain origin

Note: Though the Greek origin of Italian macaroni appears likely, many details are unclear. It has been speculated that the word makarṓneia is a blend of makários "blessed" and aiṓnios "eternal" (words perhaps coupled in funeral orations and memorial services), though this etymology is quite tenuous. The development of the food sense is also difficult to explain—perhaps it has developed through association with Greek makaría "dish of broth and barley groats," an apparently ancient word of uncertain origin attested only in the work of the Greek lexicographer Hesychios (5th-6th century a.d.).

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1599

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