vermicelli

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe long, thin forms of cooked dough, but they differ in thickness and origin. Spaghetti is the thickest of the group, with a round cross-section about 2 mm in diameter, and is the default pasta shape in Italian cuisine. Angel hair pasta (capellini) is the thinnest — so fine it cooks in about one minute — and is often served with light olive-oil-based sauces. Vermicelli falls between them in thickness, at roughly 1.5 mm, and is commonly used in soups or cold salads as well as with sauce. Noodles is the broadest term, covering both Italian pasta and Asian varieties made from wheat, rice, or egg dough. For example, a recipe might call for 'boiled spaghetti' for a hearty meat sauce, 'angel hair pasta' for a lemon-garlic dish, 'vermicelli' for a clear chicken soup, and 'rice noodles' for a Thai stir-fry.

Common collocations

Etymology

The English word 'vermicelli' was borrowed from Italian in the 1600s. In Italian, 'vermicelli' literally means 'little worms', from the plural of 'vermicello' (small worm), itself from Latin 'vermiculus' (little worm), a diminutive of 'vermis' (worm). The name was inspired by the pasta's thin, wiggly shape.