Macaroni

Macaroni

Noun · /ˌmæk.əˈrəʊ.ni/

Definition

A type of pasta in the shape of short narrow tubes; (historical) a fashionable young man of the 18th century who adopted an exaggerated Italian fashion style; (in Yankee Doodle) the feather in the cap described as 'macaroni' referred to this fashionable excess.

Origin

From Italian maccheroni (plural of maccherone), possibly from medieval Greek makaria (food made from barley broth), or from the Sicilian dialect. Macaroni was one of the first pasta shapes to become widely known in Britain and North America. The Macaroni Club in 18th-century London gave its name to fashionable young men who had travelled to Italy on the Grand Tour and adopted Italian fashions.