macaronic

adj.

1. Of or containing a mixture of vernacular words with Latin words or with vernacular words given Latinate endings: macaronic verse.
2. Of or involving a mixture of two or more languages.

[New Latin macaronicus, from Italian maccheronea, macaronic verse, after Maccharonea, title of a work containing such verse by Tifi Odasi, 15th-century Italian author, from maccherone, maccaroni, course food.]

macaronic mac'a·ron'ic n.

(mak-ah-RON-ik)

adjective
Involving a mixture of languages.

Etymology
From Latin macaronicus, from Italian dialect maccarone (macaroni), probably alluding to the jumble of macaroni and sauce on a plate

Usage
"Speaking not in the gleefully macaronic English that has made for such good, clownish copy in the past, but in his native Italian, he sounded serious and reflective as he answered questions about his age, his health, and his dwindling plans for the future." — Justin Davidson; Pavarotti Winds Down; Newsday (New York); Mar 11, 1998.

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1) characterized by a mixture of vernacular words with Latin words
2) characterized by a mixture of two languages

Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The adjective has one meaning:

Meaning #1: of or containing a mixture of Latin words and vernacular words jumbled together
  Pertains to nouns: Latin (meaning #1), vernacular (meaning #2)

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