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

Neighbors hosted pancake breakfasts and spaghetti nights to raise money for lawyers. — Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026

But this year, according to a dress code reviewed by The Athletic, women have been told that strapless, off-the-shoulder and spaghetti-strap attire is not permitted, with illustrations of appropriate and inappropriate wear for both men and women. — Nick Miller, New York Times, 4 July 2026

In the chaos, the minions eat some spaghetti just like in Lady and the Tramp (1955). — Barry Levitt, Time, 3 July 2026

Made with fresh Roma tomatoes and Italian sausage, this hearty pasta sauce is perfect for spaghetti, ravioli, or even polenta. — Jasmine Thompson, Midwest Living, 2 July 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.