Definition of PASTICHE

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It all began with macaroni. Our word pastiche is from French, but the French word was in turn borrowed from Italian, where the word is pasticcio. Pasticcio is what the Italians called a kind of "macaroni pie" (from the word pasta). English-speakers familiar with this multilayered dish had begun to apply the name to various sorts of potpourris or hodgepodges (musical, literary, or otherwise) by the 18th century. For over a hundred years English speakers were happy with pasticcio, until we discovered the French word pastiche sometime in the latter part of the 1800s. Although we still occasionally use pasticcio in its extended meaning, "pastiche" is now much more common.

Examples of pastiche in a Sentence

His earlier building designs were pastiches based on classical forms. With this work she goes beyond pastiche. The research paper was essentially a pastiche made up of passages from different sources. The house is decorated in a pastiche of Asian styles.

Recent Examples on the Web

The choreography, by Brandon Bieber, is an odd pastiche of familiar gestures. — Jesse Green, New York Times, "Review: Do You Believe in Miracles? ‘Felix Starro’ Does," 3 Sep. 2019 Everybody dons cowboy hats for the brothers’ country number faux-lamenting Joseph’s death and berets for their melodramatic pastiche of French ballads (led by Jordan Smith as a haughty Simeon wielding a cigarette holder). — Sam Hurwitt, The Mercury News, "Review: Quirky, cheeky ‘Dreamcoat’ kicks up some fun at Tri-Valley Rep," 25 July 2019 Tropical cocktails, which borrow the fun and flavor of Tiki while passing on the Polynesian pastiche. — Michael Russell, oregonlive, "Eem is Portland’s 2019 Restaurant of the Year," 12 Sep. 2019 Lang relies on a pastiche of voices to tell the story. — BostonGlobe.com, "Looking back on Woodstock — the music, the people, the money," 22 Aug. 2019 For an artist synonymous with mid-century pastiche, Lana Del Rey captures American life in 2019 with uncanny precision. — Judy Berman, Time, "Review: Norman F---ing Rockwell! Is Lana Del Rey's Darkest—And Greatest—Album Yet," 30 Aug. 2019 After the first few saccharine numbers, the show settles into playful pastiches of a multiplicity of styles, from a jazzy strut to country, from cabaret to calypso. — Sam Hurwitt, The Mercury News, "Review: Quirky, cheeky ‘Dreamcoat’ kicks up some fun at Tri-Valley Rep," 25 July 2019 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a pastiche, history filtered through celluloid. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "Quentin Tarantino Has Made His Best Movie in a Decade," 24 July 2019 Alsace-Lorraine, a region in eastern France, has passed back and forth between France and Germany for centuries, and its culture has always been a curious pastiche of the two countries: kugelhopf in the cafés, Voltaire in the schools. — James Mcauley, Town & Country, "The Haunting of Paris: Georges Mandel and the Long Legacy of Nazi Violence," 6 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pastiche.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.