cacciaccavallo
Italian edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
Verb-object compound, composed of caccia (“to hunt; to chase; to drive away”) + cavallo (“horse”). Origin of term unclear. Compare Neapolitan cassa a cavallo and Sicilian cascavaddu.
Noun edit
cacciaccavallo m (plural cacciaccavalli)
- (nautical, archaic) a large bolt that goes through a mast at its foot or under the top, with the goal of stabilizing the structure
Further reading edit
- cacciaccavallo in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
- cacciaccavallo in Dizionario Italiano Olivetti, Olivetti Media Communication
- Accademia della Crusca (p. 1961), “cacciaccavallo”, in Grande dizionario della lingua italiana (in Italian), volume 2, page 478
