putto

See also: Putto and put to

English

WOTD – 2 June 2020

Etymology

Anonymous, Allégorie de l’Hiver (Allegory of Winter, c. 1760), which depicts four putti around a fire.

Statues by Antonio Giuseppe Sartori of Saint Sebastian flanked by two putti (a. 1793), in Pécs Cathedral, Pécs, Hungary.

Borrowed from Italian putto (“cupid, putto; boy”), from Latin putus (“boy”), a variant of pūsus (“(little) boy”), from puer (“boy, lad; child”), from Proto-Italic *puweros, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂w- (“few, little; smallness”).

The plural form putti is also borrowed from Italian putti.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpʊtəʊ/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈpʊtoʊ/, [-ɾoʊ]
• Hyphenation: put‧to

Noun

putto (plural putti or (rare) puttos or (rare) puttoes)

1. (art) A representation, especially in Renaissance or Baroque art, of a small, naked, often winged (usually male) child; a cherub.
   • 1938, “1788: Piety Weeping at the Tomb of Benevolence, a Model of a Monument to be Erected in Whitechapel Church, to the Memory of Dr [Robert] Markham the Late Rector, at the Expence of His Parishioners”, in C[harles] F[rancis] Bell, editor, Annals of Thomas Banks, Sculptor, Royal Academician: […], Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: At the University Press, →OCLC, page 72:

     There is in the porch of the present church a tablet to Luke Flood (died 1818) which has much the appearance of having been made up of portions of earlier monuments. It is surmounted by a bas-relief of a winged boy holding an inverted torch. But not only is he a baby putto, not a youth, and without an urn, but the style and execution scarcely seem worthy of [Thomas] Banks even when not at his best.

   • 1971, Jacob Bean, Felice Stampfle, “Oil Sketches by 18th Century Italian Artists from New York Collections [GIOVANNI BATTISTA PITTONI [...] 22. The Crucifixion.]”, in The Eighteenth Century in Italy (Drawings from New York Collections; III), New York, N.Y.: Metropolitan Museum of Art; Pierpont Morgan Library, →ISBN, page 333:

     The Carmelite scapulars held by the putto and young male saint on the right indicate that the altarpiece was intended for a church of the Carmelite order.

   • 1973, “Analysis of Beauty: Etched and Engraved from Drawings, March 1753 [84: Plate I: Third State]”, in Sean Shesgreen, editor, Engravings by Hogarth: 101 Prints, New York, N.Y.: Dover Publications, →ISBN, column 1:

     A second putto with a gallows in its hand cries at the judge's feet.

   • 1990, Oskar Bätschmann, “Deliverance – Destruction”, in Nicolas Poussin: Dialectics of Painting, London: Reaktion Books, →ISBN, part I, page 62:

     In The Youth of Bacchus (illus. 51) [by Nicolas Poussin], a painting produced before 1630, the figures are arranged in a triangle. The young Bacchus is at the top, the putti lying on the ground and the feet of the sitting figures mark the base-line and the lower corner, while the sides are designated by the nymphs and satyrs.

   • 1990, Kristine Koozin, “The Vanitas Still Life”, in The Vanitas Still Lifes of Harmen Steenwyck: Metaphoric Realism (Renaissance Studies; 1), Lewiston, N.Y., Queenston, Ont.: Edwin Mellen Press, →ISBN, page 25:

     The picture shows a putto who has just blown bubbles through a clay tube. He holds a scallop shell of soapy water and leans against a skull. [...] In picture and verse the imagery echoes classical and biblical metaphors for the brevity of a man's life. The fresh flower is in contrast to the dying tree like the putto as childhood innocence is opposed by the death's head.

   • 2004, Richard [Alan] Fortey, “Up and Down”, in The Earth: An Intimate History, London: HarperCollins, →ISBN; Earth: An Intimate Portrait, 1st Vintage Books edition, New York, N.Y.: Vintage Books, November 2005, →ISBN, page 15:

     The walls [of Naples Cathedral] have ranks of white marble niches capped by huge marble scallops, and flanked by urns and flowers, drapes and putti.

   • 2005, David Farrell Krell, “God’s Footstool”, in The Tragic Absolute: German Idealism and the Languishing of God, Indianapolis, Ind.: Indiana University Press, →ISBN, page 160:

     Whatever the case, the evangelical animals are appreciably larger than the puttos of the painting. The animals gaze upward, their mouths gaping. They are cawing, bellowing, roaring out the Gospel. [...] Only the attendant puttos seem to be taking the divine afflatus or descent in stride.

   • 2018, Claudia La Malfa, “Copies of Raphael’s Mythological Paintings in the Collection of Cardinal Ludovisi”, in Maddalena Bellavitis, editor, Making Copies in European Art 1400–1600: Shifting Tastes, Modes of Transmission, and Changing Contexts (Brill’s Studies in Intellectual History; 286; Brill’s Studies on Art, Art History, and Intellectual History; 30), Leiden, Boston, Mass.: Brill, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 347:

     A Galatea with Triton, 5 puttoes and 5 other figures, painted frame in fake marble and gilded, 12 palmi in height, copy of Raphael made by Caracci.

Hyponyms

• (putto representing Cupid or love): amoretto, amorino, cupid

Translations

representation of a small, naked, often winged child

• Belarusian: пу́та (púta)
• Catalan: amoret, angelot (ca) m
• Dutch: cherubijn (nl) m
• Estonian: puto
• Finnish: putto (fi), kerubi (fi)
• Georgian: პუტი (ṗuṭi)
• German: Putto (de) m, Putte (de) f, Amorette (de) f
• Greek: αγγελούδι (el) n (angeloúdi)
• Hungarian: puttó (hu)
• Italian: putto (it) m
• Japanese: プット (ja)
• Korean: 푸토 (puto)
• Kyrgyz: путти (putti)
• Russian: пу́тто (pútto)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: путо

  Roman: puto (sh)

• Thai: พุตโต
• Ukrainian: пу́тто (pútto)

Further reading

• putto on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• toput, tot up

Finnish

Etymology

From Italian putto.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈputːo/, [ˈput̪ːo̞]
• Rhymes: -utːo
• Syllabification^(key): put‧to

Noun

putto

1. putto, cherub

Declension

Inflection of putto (Kotus type 1*C/valo, tt-t gradation)
nominative		putto	putot
genitive		puton	puttojen
partitive		puttoa	puttoja
illative		puttoon	puttoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		putto	putot
accusative	nom.	putto	putot
	gen.	puton
genitive		puton	puttojen
partitive		puttoa	puttoja
inessive		putossa	putoissa
elative		putosta	putoista
illative		puttoon	puttoihin
adessive		putolla	putoilla
ablative		putolta	putoilta
allative		putolle	putoille
essive		puttona	puttoina
translative		putoksi	putoiksi
abessive		putotta	putoitta
instructive		—	putoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of putto (Kotus type 1*C/valo, tt-t gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative puttoni puttoni accusative nom. puttoni puttoni gen. puttoni genitive puttoni puttojeni partitive puttoani puttojani inessive putossani putoissani elative putostani putoistani illative puttooni puttoihini adessive putollani putoillani ablative putoltani putoiltani allative putolleni putoilleni essive puttonani puttoinani translative putokseni putoikseni abessive putottani putoittani instructive — — comitative — puttoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative puttosi puttosi accusative nom. puttosi puttosi gen. puttosi genitive puttosi puttojesi partitive puttoasi puttojasi inessive putossasi putoissasi elative putostasi putoistasi illative puttoosi puttoihisi adessive putollasi putoillasi ablative putoltasi putoiltasi allative putollesi putoillesi essive puttonasi puttoinasi translative putoksesi putoiksesi abessive putottasi putoittasi instructive — — comitative — puttoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative puttomme puttomme accusative nom. puttomme puttomme gen. puttomme genitive puttomme puttojemme partitive puttoamme puttojamme inessive putossamme putoissamme elative putostamme putoistamme illative puttoomme puttoihimme adessive putollamme putoillamme ablative putoltamme putoiltamme allative putollemme putoillemme essive puttonamme puttoinamme translative putoksemme putoiksemme abessive putottamme putoittamme instructive — — comitative — puttoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative puttonne puttonne accusative nom. puttonne puttonne gen. puttonne genitive puttonne puttojenne partitive puttoanne puttojanne inessive putossanne putoissanne elative putostanne putoistanne illative puttoonne puttoihinne adessive putollanne putoillanne ablative putoltanne putoiltanne allative putollenne putoillenne essive puttonanne puttoinanne translative putoksenne putoiksenne abessive putottanne putoittanne instructive — — comitative — puttoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative puttonsa puttonsa accusative nom. puttonsa puttonsa gen. puttonsa genitive puttonsa puttojensa partitive puttoaan puttoansa puttojaan puttojansa inessive putossaan putossansa putoissaan putoissansa elative putostaan putostansa putoistaan putoistansa illative puttoonsa puttoihinsa adessive putollaan putollansa putoillaan putoillansa ablative putoltaan putoltansa putoiltaan putoiltansa allative putolleen putollensa putoilleen putoillensa essive puttonaan puttonansa puttoinaan puttoinansa translative putokseen putoksensa putoikseen putoiksensa abessive putottaan putottansa putoittaan putoittansa instructive — — comitative — puttoineen puttoinensa

Synonyms

• kerubi

Further reading

• “putto”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-03

Anagrams

• pottu, potut, putot, tupot

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian putto.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pu.to/

Noun

putto m (plural puttos or putti)

1. putto

Italian

Etymology

From Latin pūtus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈput.to/
• Rhymes: -utto
• Hyphenation: pùt‧to

Noun

putto m (plural putti)

1. (art) putto, cherub, cupid

   Synonym: amorino

2. (rare) child

Descendants

• → English: putto

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative forms

• 𑀧𑀼𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁄 (Brahmi script)
• पुत्तो (Devanagari script)
• পুত্তো (Bengali script)
• පුත‍්තො (Sinhalese script)
• ပုတ္တော or ပုတ္တေႃ or ပုတ်တေႃ (Burmese script)
• ปุตฺโต or ปุตโต (Thai script)
• ᨷᩩᨲ᩠ᨲᩮᩣ (Tai Tham script)
• ປຸຕ຺ໂຕ or ປຸຕໂຕ (Lao script)
• បុត្តោ (Khmer script)
• 𑄛𑄪𑄖𑄴𑄖𑄮 (Chakma script)

Noun

putto m

1. singular nominative of putta

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian putto.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈput.tɔ/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uttɔ
• Syllabification: put‧to

Noun

putto n or m animal

1. (art) putto, cupid, cherub, amoretto

   Synonyms: amorek, kupidyn, kupido

Declension

Neuter declension:

Declension of putto

	singular	plural
nominative	putto	putta
genitive	putta	putt
dative	puttu	puttom
accusative	putto	putta
instrumental	puttem	puttami
locative	putcie	puttach
vocative	putto	putta

Masculine animate declension:

Declension of putto

	singular	plural
nominative	putto	putty
genitive	putta	puttów
dative	puttowi	puttom
accusative	putta	putty
instrumental	puttem	puttami
locative	putcie	puttach
vocative	putcie	putty

Further reading

• putto in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• putto in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian putto.

Noun

putto n (plural putti)

1. (art) putto, cherub, cupid

Declension

Declension of putto

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) putto	puttoul	(niște) putti	puttile
genitive/dative	(unui) putto	puttoului	(unor) putti	puttilor
vocative	puttoule		puttilor

References

• putto in Academia Română, Micul dicționar academic, ediția a II-a, Bucharest: Univers Enciclopedic, 2010. →ISBN