macaroni

noun mac·a·ro·ni \ ˌma-kə-ˈrō-nē \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

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

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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

Majordomo, which opened earlier this year in L.A., offers creative takes on basics and recently included short ribs with beef rice and shiso rice paper, and macaroni and chickpeas with black pepper.

— alexandra wolfe, WSJ, "David Chang’s Culinary Mash-Ups," 6 Apr. 2018
The menu includes baked ham, lasagna, meatballs, Harvard beets, potato salad, macaroni salad, baked beans, gelatin salads, rolls, beverages, pies and assorted desserts.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Killingly Edition," 3 Apr. 2018
Feast on fries topped with cheddar cheese sauce and crushed, electric-orange Cheetos, chili chopped with Cheetos, or perhaps macaroni and cheese mixed with chicken cutlets, buffalo sauce, and — yes — more Cheetos.

— kara baskin, BostonGlobe.com, "Tables: Dumpling Kitchen opens in Somerville and Better Bagels pops up at Coppa," 22 Mar. 2018
The menu will be Nashville hot chicken plus southern sides, including macaroni and cheese, collard greens and cornbread.

— polly campbell, Cincinnati.com, "New and Noted: A roundup of recent restaurant news," 7 Mar. 2018
Stars and guests will nosh on favorites like smoked salmon Oscars, potato with caviar, and truffle macaroni and cheese.

— susan selasky, Detroit Free Press, "In Good Taste: Try this award-winning pizza on Oscar Night," 4 Mar. 2018
Last year there was a fantastic beer garden and macaroni and cheese waiting at the finish line.

— holly brooks, Anchorage Daily News, "Too out of shape for the Tour of Anchorage? Go for the bib, not the gold," 2 Mar. 2018
Items in this week's Blessings in a Backpack bags included ravioli, macaroni and cheese, soups, cereal and candy for Easter, McCoy said.

— bailey loosemore, The Courier-Journal, "Many JCPS teachers spent their unexpected day off delivering food to students in need," 30 Mar. 2018
Last year, a report found high concentrations of phthalates in macaroni and cheese mixes, which prompted a push for additional regulation of the chemicals in food.

— mark lieber, CNN, "Here's a new reason why eating out might be bad for your health," 29 Mar. 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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MACARONI Defined for English Language Learners

macaroni

noun

Definition of macaroni for English Language Learners

: a type of pasta in the shape of small curved tubes

MACARONI Defined for Kids

macaroni

noun mac·a·ro·ni \ ˌma-kə-ˈrō-nē \

Definition of macaroni for Students

: pasta in the shape of little curved tubes

Learn More about macaroni

See words that rhyme with macaroni Spanish Central: Translation of macaroni Nglish: Translation of macaroni for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of macaroni for Arabic speakers

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macaroni

Definition of macaroni

macaroni was our Word of the Day on 03/01/2015. Hear the podcast!

Examples of macaroni in a Sentence

Recent Examples of macaroni from the Web

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Origin and Etymology of macaroni

MACARONI Defined for English Language Learners

macaroni

Definition of macaroni for English Language Learners

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macaroni

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macaroni

Definition of macaroni

macaroni was our Word of the Day on 03/01/2015. Hear the podcast!

Examples of macaroni in a Sentence

Recent Examples of macaroni from the Web

Did You Know?

Origin and Etymology of macaroni

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