Word of the Day (3/30/09): Macaroni

First used in 1599, macaroni comes from the Southern Italian dialect of maccaroni (or maccheroni).

There are two theories on the origin of the word:

• some believe it to be from the Greek makaria, which is a type of barley broth.

• some believe it comes from Italian ammaccare, which means "to bruise or crush" (this refers to the crushing of the wheat to make the pasta); which in turn, comes from the Latin macerare.

After 1764, macaroni also meant "fop," or "dandy" (stemming from the "Yankee Doodle" song reference) because it was an exotic dish at the time and young men who had traveled the continent were affecting French and Italian fashions and accents.