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

This is my favorite way to fast-fix chicken spaghetti. —Josh Miller, Southern Living, 9 May 2026

The recipe for his simple spaghetti sauce, which Chef Boiardi originally sold attached to milk bottles at his original Ohio restaurants, features basic ingredients, including diced carrots. —Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026

Pack a couple for your trip, and stay vigilant near swirls of spaghetti al pomodoro. —Elly Leavitt, Vogue, 8 May 2026

The eatery, featuring favorites such as spaghetti with meat sauce and gelato for dessert, is two blocks west of the La Brea Station. —Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 7 May 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.