The story
From the resemblance of its phases to various types of pasta.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Today it means: A type of degenerate matter found within the crusts of neutron stars, where the competition between nuclear attraction and Coulomb repulsion forces of similar magnitude allows for the formation of a variety of complex structures assembled from neutrons and protons. Full definition →
From the resemblance of its phases to various types of pasta.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.