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

Tropical Storm Erin spaghetti models Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. —Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2025

Recent spaghetti models indicate that Tropical Storm Erin, which meteorologists warn has the potential to strengthen into a hurricane by Friday, is unlikely to directly hit the U.S. coast. —Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025

In a sea of chicken casseroles, this old-school spaghetti bake stands out as the star. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 8 Aug. 2025

Try the spaghetti vongole or the seabass ravioli, both house favorites. —Joanne Shurvell, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025

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.