Meaning & use
gemelli
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
A pasta made of two short strands twisted together into a spiral shape, whose name means twins in Italian.
Grammar: Used as a mass noun for the pasta: cook the gemelli, a bowl of gemelli.
Patterns
- gemelli with something
- a bowl of gemelli
We tossed the gemelli with roasted tomatoes and basil.
Gemelli holds a thick sauce well because of its twisted shape.
She added a handful of gemelli to the boiling soup.
Common combinations
- cook gemelli
- Cook the gemelli for about ten minutes until it is firm.
- gemelli pasta
- Gemelli pasta is a good choice for salads.
- gemelli with pesto
- He made gemelli with pesto for lunch.
- a bowl of gemelli
- She ate a bowl of gemelli with cheese.
- whole wheat gemelli
- I prefer whole wheat gemelli for pasta salad.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fusilli
- Fusilli is a longer corkscrew pasta made from a single strand, while gemelli is two short strands twisted together.
- rotini
- Rotini is the American name for a tight spiral pasta and is similar in use, though the strands differ.
- cavatappi
- Cavatappi is a hollow curved tube, so it looks different from solid gemelli.
Word family
- gemello noun
- Italian singular meaning twin, rarely used in English
- gemini noun
- related word for twins, also a star sign
- geminate adjective
- occurring in pairs, a technical word
Commonly confused: gemelli or Gemini? gemelli or fusilli?
gemelli vs Gemini
Gemini is the zodiac sign of the twins; gemelli is a pasta that shares the idea of two.
gemelli vs fusilli
Fusilli is a different spiral pasta shaped from one long strand.
Practice
What is gemelli?
Choose one answer.
Gemelli is a pasta whose twisted shape gives it its name, meaning twins. It is not a cheese, a tool or a sauce, though it is often served with sauce.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gemelli”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.