marinara
marinara Lexical Profile
marinara Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Prepared or served with a seasoned tomato sauce containing garlic and herbs.
"We ordered a large pizza marinara, topped simply with tomato sauce, garlic, and oregano without any cheese."
• noun
North American A savory Italian sauce made primarily from tomatoes, garlic, onions, olive oil, and herbs such as basil or oregano.
"The chef simmered the marinara on the stove for hours to bring out the sweetness of the roasted tomatoes."
Word Nuance & Usage
In North America, marinara almost exclusively denotes a simple, meatless tomato sauce, whereas in traditional Italian cuisine, 'alla marinara' historically referred to a 'sailor-style' dish that sometimes included seafood.
• Rhymes for marinara
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Italian 'marinara', short for 'alla marinara' meaning 'sailor-style', ultimately from Latin 'marinus' (of the sea). It historically refers to the easily preservable tomato sauce made by cooks on Neapolitan ships.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.