Macaronic - Definition and Overview

Macaronic Latin (or macaroni Latin) is an old term used for various sorts of adulturated Latin.

Sometimes, the phrase is used for a jumbled jargon made up of vernacular words given Latin endings, or Latin words mixed with the vernacular in a sort of pastiche; compare dog Latin. The writing of humorous verse and prose for satirical purposes in macaroni Latin became a fad in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, particularly in Italian.

Similarly, Macaronic verse refers to poetry written in more than one language, most frequently a mixture of the local vernacular and Latin. It was especially popular with non-liturgical carols of the middle ages.

As an example of macaronic verse, consider the first stanza of the famous carol In Dulci Jubilo:

The Roman text is in German; the italicised in Latin. (In this example, there is a hint of a third language, in the Greek letters mentioned in the last line.)