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

Why watch: The most horrifying thing in Savageland might be the dialogue uttered by some of the white, openly racist side characters who populate its mockumentary pastiche. — Dylan Scott, Vox, "13 found-footage horror movies actually worth watching this Halloween," 19 Oct. 2018 Mass nationalist rallies even of the type orchestrated by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Turkey and the Law and Justice Party in Poland seem more like pastiche than the genuine article. — Adam Tooze, The New York Review of Books, "Democracy and Its Discontents," 6 June 2019 The latter’s pocket-biography of Brunet suggests that the events of this work had roots in the fictional author’s own life—adding a layer of conceptual icing to this delectable pastiche. — Tom Nolan, WSJ, "Mysteries: A Case of Mistaken Identity," 11 Oct. 2018 It’s more accurate to see them as manifestations of a lifetime’s voracious, multivalent reading and looking—inventive mental collages or marvelous pastiches of unimaginably wide-ranging sources. — Karen Wilkin, WSJ, "‘Born to Be Posthumous’ Review: Peculiar, Cynical, Ironic & Witty," 21 Dec. 2018 With green satin at the neckline and a dramatic mix of black, red, and blue, the look echoed the colors of the South African flag without verging into pastiche. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, "Naomi Campbell Used Her Global Citizen Wardrobe to Showcase International Design," 5 Dec. 2018 This is not to say that all Mr. Geary’s pastiches are first-rate. — Henry Hitchings, WSJ, "‘Wit’s End’ Review: You’ve Got to Be Kidding," 8 Nov. 2018 On one plane, there’s Hannaford’s film, a kind of dreamy pastiche of European art cinema seemingly inspired in equal parts by Last Year at Marienbad, Persona, and Michelangelo Antonioni. — Keith Phipps, The Verge, "Netflix’s Orson Welles revival is strange, fascinating, and frustrating," 1 Nov. 2018 The last thing Godard's fertile '60s period ever felt like was a mannered checklist of film's possibilities, but Hazanavicius has no such qualms as a pastiche fanboy. — Robert Abele, latimes.com, "'Godard Mon Amour' isn't as smart or funny a sendup as it wants to be," 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.