[Italian dialectal maccaroni, pl. of maccarone, small lump of pasta, piece of macaroni, variant of standard Italian maccheroni, pl. of maccherone, perhaps from Greek makariā, barley groats in soup or sauce, especially as served at funeral meals (from makarios, blessed, favored by the gods, from makar, blessed, of unknown origin) or from Byzantine Greek makariōneia, funeral chant (perhaps also formerly used by Greek communities in Italy to designate a funeral meal) : Greek makarios, blessed + aiōnios, eternal (from aiōn, eon; see EON). Sense 2, from the notion that such young men acquired a taste for macaroni while in Italy on the grand tour .]