spaghetti
UK[spəˈɡeti]US[spəˈɡɛdi]
n
A type of pasta in long, thin strings.
Etymology
The word 'spaghetti' is a direct borrowing from Italian, where it is the plural diminutive of 'spago', meaning "string" or "twine." This Italian term itself derives from the Late Latin 'spacus', meaning "string," which can be traced back to the Greek 'spákos', referring to a kind of rope. Thus, the word's journey from a general term for a cord to the name of a specific food item is a clear example of semantic narrowing based on physical resemblance, capturing the essence of the pasta's long, thin, string-like shape.
Analysis
The word is a simplex loanword from Italian. It cannot be meaningfully segmented into productive morphemes within the English spelling system.
Examples
He cooked spaghetti with a rich tomato sauce.
The spaghetti tangled together in the pot.
This restaurant is famous for its homemade spaghetti.