WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
car•bo•na•ra
(kär′bə när′ə; It. kär′bô nä′rä),USA pronunciation n., [Italian Cookery.]
- Fooda sauce or dressing for spaghetti, usually containing minced prosciutto or pancetta, egg yolks, and grated cheese.
- dialect, dialectal Italian (alla) carbonara literally, in the manner of the charcoal pit (compare Late Latin carbonaria brazier; see Carbonari); perh. in reference to the use of leftover grilled meat in the sauce
- 1960–65