ciotto
Italian edit
Pronunciation edit
Etymology 1 edit
Uncertain. Perhaps of Germanic origin; cf. German Schutt (“rubble”). Alternatively from Latin cautēs (“rough pointed rock”), via a Gallo-Italic language (to explain the palatalization of /ka-/), but this requires a change in gender and notable reduction in size. Either way, cognate with Romagnol ẓòt.[1]
Noun edit
ciotto m (plural ciotti)
- (archaic) pebble
- Synonym: ciottolo
- c. 1300, Giovanni Boccaccio, “Giornata ottava – Novella terza”, in Decameron:
- Andianne; ma io giuro a Dio che mai Calandrino non me ne farà più niuna: e se io gli fossi presso come stato sono tutta mattina, io gli darei tale di questo ciotto nelle calcagna, che egli si ricorderebbe forse un mese di questa beffa!
- Let's go; but I swear to God that Calandrino will never fool me again like this: and if I were near him like I've been all morning, I would throw something like this pebble at his heels, so that he'd remember maybe for a month of this prank!
Derived terms edit
Etymology 2 edit
See chiotto.
Adjective edit
ciotto (feminine ciotta, masculine plural ciotti, feminine plural ciotte)
- (central Italy) Alternative form of chiotto
Etymology 3 edit
Unknown.
Adjective edit
ciotto (feminine ciotta, masculine plural ciotti, feminine plural ciotte)
Etymology 4 edit
Unknown. Likely of recent coinage, used by younger generations.
Adjective edit
ciotto (feminine ciotta, masculine plural ciotti, feminine plural ciotte)
References edit
Further reading edit
- ciotto1 in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
- ciotto2 in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
- ciotto in Dizionario Italiano Olivetti, Olivetti Media Communication
- Pianigiani, Ottorino (1907) “ciottolo”, in Vocabolario etimologico della lingua italiana (in Italian), Rome: Albrighi & Segati