Definition of PASTICHE

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It all began with macaroni. Our word pastiche is from French, but the French word was in turn borrowed from Italian, where the word is pasticcio. Pasticcio is what the Italians called a kind of "macaroni pie" (from the word pasta). English-speakers familiar with this multilayered dish had begun to apply the name to various sorts of potpourris or hodgepodges (musical, literary, or otherwise) by the 18th century. For over a hundred years English speakers were happy with pasticcio, until we discovered the French word pastiche sometime in the latter part of the 1800s. Although we still occasionally use pasticcio in its extended meaning, "pastiche" is now much more common.

Examples of pastiche in a Sentence

His earlier building designs were pastiches based on classical forms. With this work she goes beyond pastiche. The research paper was essentially a pastiche made up of passages from different sources. The house is decorated in a pastiche of Asian styles.

Recent Examples on the Web

Shapely melody is not Mr. Finn’s strong suit, and his score, in which Great American Songbook-style pastiche is freshened with his own spiky harmonic language, is somewhat uneven in quality. — Terry Teachout, WSJ, "‘The Royal Family of Broadway’ Review: The Farcical Ties That Bind," 14 June 2018 Some newer artists even exist almost solely as Three 6 pastiche acts, including $uicideboy$, whose WhoSampled page lists dozens of flips of old Memphis classics. — Patrick Lyons, Billboard, "10 Years Ago, Three 6 Mafia's 'Last 2 Walk' Almost Ruined Their Legacy," 24 June 2018 Attempts to recreate the building now would amount to a pastiche or replica, not a restoration, and Mackintosh was an innovator, not an antiquarian. — The Economist, "A burnt-out case," 21 June 2018 This was, in other words, no pastiche of multi-cultural influences. — Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, "Chicago Jazz Philharmonic delivers urgent message with 'Chicago Immigrant Stories'," 15 June 2018 The result of style’s decline is visible in the McMansion, a house too large in volume for its lot, with a pastiche of stylistic elements decorating the exterior. — Anthony Alofsin, The Atlantic, "A Defense of the Suburbs," 6 June 2018 Our robot designs might sometimes seem to be simple cheats stolen blindly, or even superficial pastiches of natural forms appropriated for purely aesthetic reasons. — Adam Stanton, Scientific American, "Why Do Robots Look Like Animals and Humans?," 5 June 2018 There's no script to speak of, just a pastiche of platitudes about the tumultuous decade. — Andrea Simakis, cleveland.com, "'The Royale,' inspired by boxer Jack Johnson, brings fight for freedom to stage (preview)," 13 May 2018 But the sculpture has always been a puzzlement for its pastiche of myriad stylistic details, which bring together features recognized from different artistic centers at different times in a work unlike any other known to exist. — Christopher Knight, latimes.com, "Something's missing from the newly reinstalled antiquities collection at the Getty Villa," 19 Apr. 2018

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