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

Regulars also swear by the signature Twin Steer burger and the spaghetti chili, packed with beans and meat and served with a hunk of garlic toast. —Lauren Dana Ellman, Midwest Living, 31 May 2026

In other words, don’t mess with spaghetti, or its price. —Deputy Food Editor, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2026

In between the readings, City Lights hosts a spaghetti feed (with vegetarian and meat options), and the Maker Fair reopens. —Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News, 31 May 2026

The shapes vary just as widely, from strapless maxis to spaghetti-strap minis and short-sleeve midis. —Irina Grechko, Vogue, 29 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.