DIPLOMSKO DELO - COnnecting REpositories · 3.2. MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD (1066 – 1476) THE NORMAN...
Transcript of DIPLOMSKO DELO - COnnecting REpositories · 3.2. MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD (1066 – 1476) THE NORMAN...
UNIVERZA V MARIBORU
FILOZOFSKA FAKULTETA
Oddelek za anglistiko in amerikanistiko
DIPLOMSKO DELO
Natalija Ferčec
Maribor, 2010
UNIVERZA V MARIBORU FILOZOFSKA FAKULTETA
Oddelek za anglistiko in amerikanistiko
Diplomsko delo
ITALIAN WORDS IN THE ENGLISH
LANGUAGE
Mentorica: Kandidatka:
red. prof. dr. Dunja Jutronić Natalija Ferčec
Maribor, 2010
I would like to express my gratitude to red. prof. dr. Dunja Jutronić for all her
patience, help and advice that I received during my writing of this paper.
I would also like to thank my family who have supported me and never doubted in
me.
I Z J A V A
Podpisana Natalija Ferčec, rojena 01. 07. 1982, študentka Filozofske fakultete
Univerze v Mariboru, smer angleški jezik s književnostjo in nemški jezik s
književnostjo, izjavljam, da je diplomsko delo z naslovom Italian words in the
English language pri mentorici red. prof. dr. Dunji Jutronić avtorsko delo. V
diplomskem delu so uporabljeni viri in literatura korektno navedeni; teksti niso
prepisani brez navedbe avtorjev.
______________________ Maribor, ______________________
ABSTRACT
Loanwords form an important part of the English language. Through the history
of the English language and culture there were a lot of factors that contributed to
the importation of new words from other languages. In the first part of my paper
there is a brief presentation of the history of the English language. The historical
and social circumstances as well as characteristics of the English language in
different periods have been outlined. In the second part of my paper the two
periods in the history of the English language are presented that are the most
important for the importation of Italian words in the English language. In the third
part the motives for borrowing and the Italian words in the English language are
listed. The words have been divided in different categories according to their
meaning. Provided are their definitions, origins and an example sentence. The last
part of the paper presents the conclusions I have come to while examining when
different Italian words came into the English language.
Key words: the English language, historical circumstances, a loanword,
importation of foreign words, etymology.
POVZETEK
Sposojenke predstavljajo pomemben del angleškega jezika. Skozi zgodovino
angleškega jezika in kulture je veliko faktorjev prispevalo k prevzemu novih
besed iz drugih jezikov. V prvem delu diplomskega dela je kratka predstavitev
zgodovine angleškega jezika. Orisane so tako zgodovinske in družbene okoliščine
kot tudi značilnosti angleškega jezika v različnih obdobjih. V nadaljevanju
diplomskega dela sta predstavljeni obdobji v zgodovini angleškega jezika, ki sta
bili najpomembnejši za prenos italijanskih besed v angleški jezik. V tretjem delu
so navedeni razlogi za sposojanje ter italijanske besede v angleškem jeziku.
Besede so razdeljene v različne kategorije glede na njihov pomen. Pri vsaki besedi
je navedena definicija besede, njen izvor in primer uporabe v povedi. Zadnji del
diplomskega dela predstavlja zaključke, do katerih sem prišla, ko sem preučevala,
kdaj so bile posamezne besede prevzete iz italijanskega v angleški jezik.
Ključne besede: angleški jezik, zgodovinske okoliščine, sposojenka, prevzemanje
tujih besed, etimologija.
CONTENTS ABSTRACT
POVZETEK
1. INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………...…….. 1 2. THE PURPOSE AND GOALS OF MY PAPER AND METHODOLOGY
……...…………………………………..……………………..………………….. 1 3. A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE …………..….…..… 2 3.1. OLD ENGLISH PERIOD (c. 450 – 1066) …….……..………….……….... 3
3.1.1. SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF OLD ENGLISH …............................... 3
3.2. MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD (1066 – 1476) …...…………….…..……..... 4
3.2.1. SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF MIDDLE ENGLISH ........................... 5
3.3. EARLY MODERN ENGLISH PERIOD (1476 – 1776) ……………..…..... 6
3.3.1. SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF EARLY MODERN
ENGLISH………………………..……………………………………………….. 7
3.4. MODERN ENGLISH PERIOD (1776 – present) ………………......…..….. 7
4. LOANWORDS AND BORROWINGS ……………………….....………........8 4.1. LOANWORDS IN EARLY MODERN ENGLISH PERIOD (1476 – 1776)
…………………………………………………………………………...……..… 9
4.2. LOANWORDS IN MODERN ENGLISH PERIOD (1776 – present)
…………………………………………………………..………………………. 11
5. ITALIAN WORDS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE …………………….. 12
6. LIST OF ITALIAN WORDS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ………………………………………………………………………...……...…. 13 6.1. ART AND ARCHITECTURE …………………..………………………… 13
6.2. FOOD AND CULINARY TERMS …………………………….…………. 29
6.3. LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE …………………………………….… 46
6.4. MUSIC …………………………………………………...……………….. 49
6.5. POLITICS …………………………………………………………………. 66
6.6. SCIENCE AND MEDICINE ………………………………….…………... 70
6.7. OTHER WORDS ………………………………………….………………. 75 7. CONCLUSION ……………………………………………………………...100
REFERENCES
1
1. INTRODUCTION
During my years in the music school I noticed a lot of words like piano, soprano,
adagio, allegro that were regularly used in especially classical music. Because I
had some knowledge of the Italian language I realized that these words are Italian.
In the course of my studies of English, especially in the subject History of the
English language, I realized that there are a number of words that came from the
Italian language into English, not only the most famous ones like pizza,
cappuccino, spaghetti. These are the words that when we hear them, we
immediately think of a small restaurant with a romantic ambience, called trattoria,
someone playing some sort of accordion or violin and of course a bowl of pasta
and a glass of red wine.
But when I found out that also words like balcony, rocket, malaria and bankrupt
came into English from the Italian language I was very surprised and became
curious about, what other Italian words came into English, when and also why this
process took place.
2. THE PURPOSE AND GOALS OF MY PAPER AND
METHODOLOGY
The paper presents Italian words in the English language, especially their
etymology and reasons for their importation.
The first part shortly presents the history of the English language and also briefly
outlines the most important historical developments in different periods.
The second part presents the loanwords in the two periods that were the most
important for the importation of the Italian words in the English language: Early
Modern English period and Modern English period.
The third part addresses the motives for borrowing and lists the Italian words in
the English language. The words are divided in different categories. Together with
2
their definitions in English I have also tried to find out what they meant in Italian
before they came in English and when they were borrowed in English and provide
an example sentence for every word.
The methods of work that I used were the descriptive method when studying the
literature, the comparative method for the comparison of the meaning the chosen,
expressions had in the language of origin and the one in the target language, the
historical method when studying the history of Italian expressions in the English
language and the classification method when classifying Italian words in different
categories such as music, food and so on.
3. A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
The English language belongs to the most important languages of the world.
According to some information English is spoken by 500 million to 1,8 billion
people. It is a member of the Indo-European family of languages. The branches of
the IE family tree are: Indian, Iranian, Armenian, Hellenic, Albanian, Italic, Balto-
Slavic, Germanic, Celtic, Hittite and Tocharian. English belongs to Germanic
languages as well as German, Dutch, Flemish, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian.
Because English belongs to the Low West Germanic branch of the Indo-European
family, it has some features in common with all the Germanic languages, but
wasn’t involved in the Second or High German-Sound Shift.
The languages in England before English
English was first introduced in England in the middle of the 5th century, but
humans had lived here for thousands of years.
The Romans in Britain
In the summer of 55 B.C. Julius Caesar tried to invade England, but he failed.
During the rule of emperor Claudius there was a more permanent occupation. For
approximately 400 years Britain was a province of the Roman Empire. But the
Romans were constantly under attack by the Germanic tribes so they gave up
trying. And when they pulled out, the Celts in the south were defenseless, so they
3
invited Germanic soldiers to come from northern Europe to protect them from
invading Vikings and also from marauding Celts from the north and from Ireland
(the Scots and the Picts). Germanic mercenaries came mainly from three tribes:
the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes. The tribe the Angles is where English and
also England get their name (Angle-ish, Angle-land).
With time larger and larger groups of peoples who spoke Germanic moved in and
the Celts were pushed west and south. At the end of the sixth century the language
that dominated on the British Isles was no longer Celtic.
Traditionally we divide the history of the English language into:
Old English period (c. 450 – 1066)
Middle English period (1066 – 1476)
Early Modern English period (1476 – 1776)
Modern English period (1776 – present)
3.1. OLD ENGLISH PERIOD (c. 450 – 1066)
Anglo-Saxon civilization
About the year 449 began the invasion of Britain by certain Germanic tribes. They
invaded all but the highlands in the west and north.
In time various Germanic tribes combined to produce small kingdoms. They were
known as the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. This was a sort of a beginning of the
united kingdom.
And the English language spoken today resulted from the dialects of the Germanic
tribes that came to England.
3.1.1. SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF OLD ENGLISH
Old English is a synthetic and Modern English an analytic language.
PRONOUNCIATION:
In OE all consonants were pronounced, there were no silent consonants.
MORPHOLOGY:
4
Morphologically Old English resembles Modern German (four cases in the
Singular and four in the Plural). The nouns in OE were declined: inflection
indicates separate forms for number, case and gender. They used five cases:
nominative, accusative, genitive, dative and instrumental. The gender in OE was
grammatical: it didn’t consider the sex.
In this period the adjectives were inflected like nouns for number, gender and
case. There were two types of declension: strong and weak.
The definite article in Old English is fully inflected. In Old English the personal
pronoun has different forms according to gender, person, case and number (at
first even the dual forms).
The verbs in OE were divided in strong and weak verbs.
OLD ENGLISH VOCABULARY
There weren’t a lot of words derived from Latin and non from French. The
vocabulary was almost completely Germanic and it was very resourceful. It made
good use of prefixes and suffixes and was very flexible. For example a suffix was
added to a noun to make it an adjective, adverb or even verb.
3.2. MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD (1066 – 1476)
THE NORMAN CONQUEST AND THE SUBJECTION OF ENGLISH
The Norman Conquest (by William the Conqueror in 1066) is considered the most
important event in the history of the English language and had the greatest effect.
If it weren’t for this event, maybe English language would have preserved most of
Old English inflections and Germanic vocabulary.
The origin of Normans was on the northern coast of France, but they were also of
Germanic stock (Norsemen).
THE USE OF FRENCH BY THE UPPER CLASS
Since there were a lot of Normans introduced to the English society, especially
members of the upper class, naturally the use of French started to spread among
this class. The language of the “small people” remained English.
5
Soon the distinction between the Normans and English vanishes and all who lived
in England were called English.
THE REESTABLISHMENT OF ENGLISH (1200 – 1500)
Shortly after 1200 England had to part from some of its possessions on the
continent and there has developed a gap between the Norman nobility and the
French. And between the years 1337 – 1453 there was a period of hostility
between England and France that was probably one of the most important factors
in desistance of use of French.
In this period the labouring class gained on importance and with it the English
language. Other important groups in this time were craftsmen and merchants.
The period from 1150 – 1500 was a period of important and great change. The
changes happened in grammar as well as in vocabulary and were accelerated by
the Norman Conquest.
3.2.1. SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF MIDDLE ENGLISH
PRONOUNCIATION:
The correspondence between graphemes and phonemes is more complex than in
OE. Some vowels were shortened and in orthography some French influence is
noticeable.
MORPHOLOGY:
Generally in morphology there were changes that led towards the reduction of
inflections.
The inflectional endings of nouns were reduced to only 4 different endings. There
wasn’t a distinction between the strong and weak declension of adjectives
anymore and all the inflexions for gender and case were lost. Because with the
pronouns the inflections were being less used, it was necessary to rely on
juxtaposition, word order and the use of preposition to express the relation
between words. Demonstratives had been reduced to ‘the’ and ‘that’.
6
In general the verb forms lost some inflections and some endings were weakened.
The strong conjugation was relatively small and all the new verbs derived from
nouns or adjectives entered the weak conjugation. And even some strong verbs
have over time changed to the weak inflection. Almost one third of the verbs had
died out at the beginning of the Middle English period.
MIDDLE ENGLISH LITERATURE
The most important author in this period is Geoffrey Chaucer (1340 – 1400) who
among others wrote Troilus and Criseyde and his most famous work the
Canterbury Tales.
3.3. EARLY MODERN ENGLISH PERIOD (1476 – 1776)
There are certain events that can influence the course a language takes. The new
events that played a role in the development of English in the Early Modern
English period were the printing press, introduced to England in 1476 by William
Caxton, development of means of communication, people had more specialized
knowledge and were starting to be self-conscious about language.
With the development of the printing press the books were made more available
to a greater number of people and not only to the privileged few. That greatly
contributed to the East Midland dialect becoming the standard in speech and also
writing by the end of the 15th century.
VOCABULARY
Because this period was a period of revival of classical scholarship, there were a
lot of borrowings from Latin and Greek.
THE EXPANSION OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE
The colonization of America, India and South Africa showed the most obvious
consequences in the vocabulary of English. Some words had entered the English
language because of the contact with Native Americans. From other areas where
there were Spanish and Portuguese settlements in the vicinity, there were some
importations of mostly Spanish words. Because of that we can notice in English
7
some Mexican words, some from Cuba, West Indies and also other South
American regions. Some words were also imported from the languages of other
British colonies, like India, Australia.
3.3.1. SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF EARLY MODERN
ENGLISH:
PRONOUNCIATION:
The Great Vowel Shift influenced the pronounciation of all the vowels. The
consequences were raising of vowels and diphtongisation.
Some consonants weren’t being pronounced anymore and some were added in the
spelling of words.
MORPHOLOGY:
Adjectives lost all inflections except in the comparative and superlative forms.
The plural of nouns and the genitive singular was marked by –s and no longer –
es. With adverbs the ending –ly was used most often.
Pronouns became simplified. Verbs gradually lost the ending except for –s in 3rd
person singular. More strong verbs became weak.
As far as tenses are concerned present perfect, past perfect and the progressive
tenses were introduced and do was being regularly used in questions. Double
negation wasn’t allowed.
3.4. MODERN ENGLISH PERIOD (1776 – present)
For the English speaking countries this was a time of important economic,
political and social development. Different reforms brought the upper and lower
classes closer, the development of more advanced means of transport and also
communication made it possible for the standard speech to be more influential. Of
great importance was also the development and also independence of some of the
British colonies and their conviction that the language that they speak is as much a
standard as English of Great Britain. These changes led to some changes in the
8
vocabulary as well. In 1755 Samuel Johnson published his Dictionary of the
English Language.
In English grammar one can’t notice significant differences between the Early
Modern English and Modern English. But there are obvious changes in the
vocabulary. These are the consequences of the Industrial revolution and the
numerous colonies the British Empire had.
At the beginning of the Modern English period it seemed that borrowings from
classical languages were predominant, but later more languages gained on
importance. The most important ones were: French, Spanish, Indian, Arabic,
Japanese, Chinese.
4. LOANWORDS AND BORROWINGS
One of the most drastic changes in the English language through history has been
the change in vocabulary, especially of course the expansion of it. The change was
the greatest with regard to nouns, verbs and adjectives.
The term that we use for words taken from another language is a loanword or a
borrowing. I have found different definitions for it.
v Loanword noun a word taken from another language and at least partly
naturalized. (Penguin English dictionary, 2005, 818).
v Loanword noun a word taken from one language for use, unchanged, in
another.
(Acquired from http://www.allwords.com, 14.02.2010)
v Borrowings noun
1. Things that have been borrowed. Especially words that originated in a
foreign language.
(Acquired from http://www.allwords.com, 14.02.2010)
I have decided to take a closer look at all the words that were taken from
Italian and used in English language (whether they are naturalized or not) since
the number isn’t so great that it would present a problem in my research.
9
But first of all I wanted to present loanwords in different periods of the English
language. I have concentrated on the Early Modern English and Modern English
period, because they are the most important for the importation of Italian words
into the English language.
The history of English borrowing is very extensive. From the very beginning of
the English language, even before the Angles, Jutes and Saxons came to England
they imported some words from Latin, but those were very scarce compared with
the later periods in the history of the English language. According to Culpeper
(1997) it was estimated that 3 percent of Old English vocabulary was made up of
loanwords, while today’s vocabulary of English consists of approximately 70
percent loanwords.
4.1. LOANWORDS IN EARLY MODERN ENGLISH PERIOD
(1476 – 1776)
LOANWORDS IN THE PERIOD OF RENAISSANCE (1500 – 1650)
This was a period when in almost every field there was a lot of development and
there were a lot of new expressions that had to be translated from Greek or Latin
into English. Since English lacked the terms for some new ideas or inventions a
new word had to be created. But for translators who were very proficient in Latin
it was easier to borrow a word than to create a new one. The same was also
concerning French and Italian. The most of these new words were taken from
Latin, but some also from Greek, French, Italian and Spanish.
It wasn’t only Latin and Greek the borrowed learned words came from. It is
evident that English borrowed from 50 languages at this time. Words adopted
from:
Ø French: fragrant, elegance, baton, accent, adverb, amplitude, cassock,
avenue, chamois, demolish.
Ø Latin: alumnus, arena, imitate, relate, abdomen, larva, frequency, parental,
plus, offensive.
Ø classical Greek (through Latin or French): atheism, atmosphere, chaos,
dogma, economy, , ecstasy, drama, irony.
10
Ø Italian: artichoke, rotunda, opera, fresco, balcony, later (18th century) also
adagio, tempo, soprano, libretto.
Ø Dutch: drill, trigger, yacht, smuggle (v.), later (18th century) also bully (v.),
kid, scuffle (v.), snuffle, track (v.).
It’s very interesting to observe that all the words borrowed from Italian are nouns,
while the words imported from Dutch are nouns and also verbs. The conclusion
derived from this is that the Italian loanwords must have been transmitted mostly
on paper.
Ø Spanish: buoy, cargo, siesta, potato, later (18th century) also adobe, banjo,
albino (Portuguese), cocoa, hacienda, palaver (Portuguese).
Some of the loanwords from Spanish came into Spanish from American Indian
languages.
THE APPEAL TO AUTHORITY (1650-1800)
This was the period when the French culture and also customs, the language was
very popular in Europe. Travelling to France was almost necessary for one’s
education. And because of this prestige of the French language it isn’t surprising
that a lot of French words entered the English language at this time. Even though
some people thought that English was being ruined and spoiled, some of these
importations are words that we can’t imagine English being without, for example
ballet, boulevard, cartoon, dentist, patrol, publicity, routine, syndicate.
As I have already mentioned in the short history of English this was a period of
great expansion of the British Empire and numerous colonies. As the colonies
were established on different continents, the English language came in contact
with many new cultures, languages and also new animals, plants and so on. This
resulted in many new imported words:
Ø from Native Americans: caribou, hickory, hominy, moccasin, moose,
opossum, papoose, raccoon, skunk, squaw, terrapin, toboggan, tomahawk,
totem, wampum and wigwam,
Ø through Spanish Mexican words: chili, chocolate, coyote, tomato
Ø from Cuba and the West Indies: barbecue, cannibal, canoe, hammock,
hurricane, maize, potato, tobacco
Ø from Peru: alpaca, condor, jerky, llama, pampas, puma, quinine
11
Ø from Brazil and other South American regions: buccaneer, cayenne,
jaguar, petunia, poncho, tapioca
Ø from India and a little farther east: bandana, bangle, Bengal, Brahman,
bungalow, calico, cashmere, cheroot, china, chintz, gingham, indigo,
mango
Ø from Africa: banana, Boer, boorish, chimpanzee, gorilla, guinea, voodoo,
zebra
Ø from Australia: wombat, cooney.
4.2. LOANWORDS IN MODERN ENGLISH PERIOD (1776 –
present)
As has already been mentioned in the short history of the English language, in this
period the number of languages English borrowed words from, grew rapidly. The
most important ones are:
Ø French: terms from the areas of art and literature, clothing, furniture, food,
social life: atelier, genre, blouse, costume, soiree, barrage, cab,
mayonnaise, brassier, café, costume, aperitif.
Ø Italian: from the areas of music, painting and also culinary terms: piano,
fascist, studio, pizza, spaghetti, graffiti, al dente, amaretto, biscotto,
confetti, grappa, pasta.
Ø Spanish: bonanza, canyon, patio, rodeo, barrio, machismo, cantina.
Ø Mexican Spanish: enchilada, fajita, japaleño, nachos, taco, tortilla, tostada.
Ø German: festschrift, gestalt, schadenfreude, weltanschauung, zeitgeist,
zither, kindergarten, waltz, delicatessen, Gestapo, dynamo.
Ø Slavic languages: tundra, samovar, vodka, Bolshevik, soviet, sputnik,
mazurka, robot.
Ø Persian words: pajamas.
Ø Chinese: yin, yang, t’ai chi ch’uan, chow mein.
Ø From India: karma, loot, thug.
Ø Japanese: geisha, haiku, Noh, sake, samurai, sayonara, shogun, sushi.
12
5. ITALIAN WORDS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
As I have seen so far there are different motives for borrowing. The ones that are
most often the reason for the importation of foreign words in a specific language
are:
§ a need to express subtle differences in meaning (also on a stylistic level),
§ development of a specific field which requires new names for inventions,
concepts,
§ a political or cultural dominance of one people over another,
§ coexistence of two or more nations with different mother tongues.
The Italian language is a Romance language and forms this group together with
Spanish, Portuguese, French, Romanian, and Catalan. They all descend from
Latin.
The first important period in which the Italian words came into the English
language is the Renaissance. This intellectual movement encompassed a
reinvention of learning based on classical sources. It began in Italy, more
specifically in Florence, Tuscany during the early Middle Ages. The reasons for
this cultural movement starting in Florence can be found in its political and
cultural conditions, the fact that some scholars from Greek migrated to Italy after
the Fall of Constantinople and also in the importance of the family Medici. And
the two names that were greatly responsible for development of this movement
were Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.
After spreading across Europe the Renaissance reached England during the 15th
century. At that time Greek and Latin became an important source of loanwords.
The Italian language was also a source of many borrowed words. At the beginning
of the Renaissance the words that came from Italian were from the fields
connected to everyday life, military, architecture and art, for example artichoke,
balcony, stanza. At the beginning of the 18th century there were a great number of
words from the field of music that came into English which can be assigned to the
fact that Italian music and especially of course opera became very popular in
England. This is a great example of how a cultural dominance of one people over
another can influence the structure of the vocabulary. Some of those words are
adagio, crescendo, forte, soprano.
13
The second important period when Italian words came into English is the time
between 1880 and 1924 when most immigration from Italy to the USA took
place. Most of the Italians came from Southern Italy, including Sicily. The
reasons for immigration were mostly economic and people who migrated to the
USA had little education. They mostly settled in specific neighborhoods, often
called Little Italy. There they were able to interact with each other and create a
familiar atmosphere. And with them they also brought their culture, especially
their cuisine. And with the new courses came also new culinary terms, which
represent a number of words that were transferred into the English language. The
most often used are: biscotto, cappuccino, ciabatta, espresso, linguini, pepperoni,
pizza, scampi.
6. LIST OF ITALIAN WORDS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
I have decided to divide the Italian words in the English language in different
categories; art and architecture, food and culinary terms, language and
literature, music, politics, science and medicine and other words.
For every word in my list I have provided:
Ø a definition,
Ø the etymology of the word (the century when the word came from the
Italian language into the English language and what it meant in its
original language),
Ø an example sentence.
I searched for the definition and the origin of the words in two on-line
dictionaries: http://www.etymonline.com/ and http://www.allwords.com/.
I looked for the example sentences in the British national corpus
(http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/) and the corpus of contemporary American English
(http://www.americancorpus.org/).
6.1. ART AND ARCHITECTURE
arcade
noun
14
1. A covered walk or passage, usually lined with shops.
2. A row of arches supporting a roof, wall, etc.
3. An amusement arcade.
Etymology: 17c: French, from Italian arcata an arch, lit “the space of a bow
shot”, from arcare “to use a bow”, from arco, “a bow”, from L. arcus. Applied to
passages formed by a succession of arches, avenues of trees, and ultimately to any
covered avenue, especially one lined with shops (1731) or amusements; hence
arcade game (1977).
Example sentence: In addition, only one longitudinal half of the right columnar
support in the arcade remains, indicating that a band of marble was also removed
from the shorter lateral edge of the slab.
(Acquired from http://www.americancorpus.org/, 14.02.2010)
architrave
noun
1. archit.
A beam that forms the bottom part of an entablature and which rests across the top
of a row of columns.
2. A moulded frame around a door or window.
Etymology: 16c: French, from It. architrave, from archi- "beginning, origin" +
trave "beam," from L. trabem (nom. trabs).
Example sentence: A frieze in relief along all four sides of the building was to
become the accepted vehicle for figure-sculpture in classical Ionic, but in a
different position from either of these: above the architrave, either below the
dentils or replacing them (fig. 166), corresponding to the metopes and triglyphs in
Doric.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
artisan
noun
1. Someone who does skilled work with their hands.
Etymology: 16c: from It. artesano, from V.L. artitianus, from L. artitus, pp. of
artire "to instruct in the arts," from ars (gen. artis)
15
Example sentence: The process in engineering evolved naturally with an
increased need for the services of the craftsman or artisan.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
balcony
noun
1. A platform surrounded by a wall or railing, projecting from the wall of a
building.
2. An upper tier in a theatre or cinema.
Etymology: 17c: from Italian balcone, from balco "scaffold" (from Langobardic
*balko- "beam," cf. O.E. balca "beam, ridge;") + It. augmentative suffix -one. Till
c.1825, regularly accented on the second syllable.
Example sentence: "My mother ran to the balcony and beneath her was a huge
piece of wreckage from the plane still blazing. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
ballerina
noun
1.A female ballet dancer.
Etymology: 18c: from Italian, lit. “dancing girl”, fem. of ballerino "dancer," from
ballo "a dance". The It. plural form ballerine formerly sometimes was used in
Eng.
Example sentence: She straightened, took up a position at his side, adjusted her
feet in a v like a ballerina in first Position and, holding out the panels of her skirt,
nodded to him to begin. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
belvedere
noun
1. A turret, lantern or room built on the top of a house, with open or glazed sides
to provide a view or to let in light and air.
2. A summerhouse on high ground.
Etymology: 16c: Italian, from bel, bello "beautiful" + vedere "to see".
16
Example sentence: She decided that her best hope was to go up to the belvedere
and see if she could find any indication at all that someone else had been involved
in Gebrec's death.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
cameo
noun
1. A smooth rounded gemstone with a raised design of a head in profile carved on
it, especially one where the design is a different colour from the gemstone.
2. A piece of jewellery containing such a gemstone.
3. The design itself.
4. A small part in a play or film performed by a well-known actor.
5. A short descriptive piece of writing.
Etymology: 14c: from Italian cammeo, from M.L. cammæus, perhaps ult. from
Arabic qamaa'il "flower buds," or Pers. chumahan "agate." Transferred sense of
"small character or part that stands out from other minor parts" in a play, etc., is
from 1851.
Example sentence: She had a cameo with a picture of George Washington at her
throat, and sensible shoes with concealed switchblades.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
campanile
noun
1. Especially in Italy: a free-standing bell tower, ie not attached to a church, etc.
Etymology: 17c: Italian, from campana “bell”.
Example sentence: It was a handsome building, much embellished by scrollwork
picked out in cream, and topped by a tower something between a lighthouse and a
campanile on which was displayed in enormous, twinkling light bulbs. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
chiaroscuro
noun
1. art.
17
The management of light and shade in a picture.
2. A monochrome painting.
Etymology: 17c: Italian, "disposition of light and dark in a picture," lit. "bright-
dark," from It. chiaro (from L. clarus) + oscuro (from L. obscurus).
Example sentence: To control the elaborate complex of facets or planes to which
forms are now reduced, Picasso had to resort again to the use of a consistent light
source, and there is in many of these paintings a new and strong sense of
chiaroscuro .
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
cognoscente
noun
1.someone possessing superior or specialized knowledge in a particular field; a
connoisseur
Etymology: 18c: It. cognoscente, Latinized from conoscente "connoisseur," lit.
"knowing man," from L. cognoscentum, present participle of cognoscere "to
know".
Example sentence: By 1980, recombinant-DNA had declined as a burning public
issue in the US and the character of remaining concern, now limited to the
cognoscente, had shifted.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
corridor
noun
1.A narrow hall or passage with rooms leading off it.
2.A restricted tract of land that allows passage between two places.
3.Airspace restricted for the passage of aircraft.
Etymology: 16 c: from It. corridore "a gallery," lit. "a runner," from correre "to
run," from L. currere. Originally of fortifications, meaning "long hallway" is first
recorded 1814.
Example sentence: Then into the playroom for a chat with the birds, numerous
visits to the corridor to talk to the fish and feed it two grains of fish food at a
time.
18
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
dilettante
noun
1. often derog
Someone who has an interest in a subject, especially art, literature or science, but
does not study it very seriously or in depth.
Etymology: 18c: borrowing of It. dilettante "lover of music or painting" from
dilettare "to delight", from L. delectare. Originally without negative connotation,
“devoted amateur”, the pejorative sense emerged late 18c. by contrast with
professional.
Example sentence: This was not true --; he was very much a dilettante in these
things --; but it shocked people into making the changes we needed. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
fresco
noun
1. A picture painted on a wall, usually while the plaster is still damp.
Etymology: 17c: Italian; in fresco, lit. "in fresh," with a sense of "painted on fresh
mortar or plaster," from It. fresco "cool, fresh,"
Example sentence: On the inside, be sure to find the fresco of the crucifixion on
the front wall. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
graffiti
plural noun
1. Words or drawings, usually humorous, political or rude, scratched, sprayed or
painted on walls, etc in public places.
Etymology: 19c: for ancient wall inscriptions found in the ruins of Pompeii, from
It. graffiti, pl. of graffito "a scribbling," a dim. formation from graffio "a scratch
or scribble," from graffiare "to scribble." Sense extended 1877 to recently made
crude drawings and scribbling.
19
Example sentence: On a wall in the Shankhill Road in Protestant Belfast is a
piece of graffiti which reads "We'll never forget you Jimmy Sands." (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
loggia
noun
1.An architectural feature of an open corridor, often columned.
Etymology: 18c: from It., from Fr. loge "arbor, covered walk".
Example sentence: There was usually a two-storey building, with a cool loggia,
surmounted by a veranda at first-floor level, reached by an open staircase. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
Madonna
noun
1. especially RC Church.
The Virgin Mary, mother of Christ.
Form: the Madonna
2. A picture, statue, icon, etc of the Virgin Mary.
Form: madonna (sometimes)
Etymology: 16c: from It. madonna, from O.It. ma donna (It. mia donna) "my
lady," from ma "my" + donna "lady." Sense of "picture or statue of the Virgin
Mary" is from 1644.
Example sentence: Look too for the frescoed Madonna in the chapel of the
Madonna dei Torriani, once known as the Madonna di Ballarin, the Madonna of
the Ballerinas, because it was beloved of the dancers of La Scala. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
magenta
noun
1.a light purple, purplish-red, or pinkish purple colour obtained by mixing red and
blue light
adjective
1. having the colour of fuchsin
20
Etymology: 19c: in allusion to the Battle of Magenta, in Italy, where the French
and Sardinians defeated the Austrians in 1859, because the brilliant crimson
aniline dye was discovered shortly after the battle, which advanced the cause of It.
independence and fired the imagination of European liberals.
Example sentence: Yellow wallpaper, adorned with large magenta roses, formed
a background for a series of hideous reproductions, most of which were spotted
with mildew.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
majolica
noun
1.A fine Italian glazed earthenware, coated with opaque white enamel and
ornamented with metallic colours
2.Any other kind of glazed coloured earthenware or faience
Etymology: 16c, from It. Majolica, 14c. name of island now known as Majorca in
the Balearics, from L. major, so called because it is the largest of the three. The
best pottery of this type was said to have been made there.
Example sentence: "Have you ever tried a great bunch of ruddy brown-red
wallflowers in an old majolica vase?
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
miniature
noun
1.A musical composition which is short in duration.
1.A small, highly detailed painting; a portrait miniature.
2.The art of painting such highly detailed miniature works.
3.A model of reduced scale.
1.(context, gaming) A token in a game representing a unit or character.
Etymology: 16c (n.) "a reduced image," from It. miniatura "manuscript
illumination or small picture," from pp. of miniare "to illuminate a manuscript,"
from L. miniare "to paint red," from minium "red lead," used in ancient times to
make red ink. Extended sense of "small" (adj.) is first attested 1714, because
21
pictures in medieval manuscripts were small, infl. by L. min-, root expressing
smallness (minor, minimus, minutus, etc.).
Example sentence: The miniature was much damaged by being placed near a
large stove in the house of the defendant who was nevertheless held not liable to
L. 2. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
muslin
noun
1.A term used for a wide variety of tightly-woven cotton fabrics, especially that
used for bedlinen.
Etymology: 17c, from Italian mussolina, from Mussolo, the Italian name for the
city of Mosul in Northern Iraq.
Example sentence: But there were also some other rags, a sort of muslin, she
thought, very soft but with stiff patches and it stank of bad meat.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
piazza
noun
1. an open square or public place in a city or town, esp. in Italy.
2. Chiefly New England and Inland South. a large porch on a house; veranda.
3. Chiefly British. an arcade or covered walk or gallery, as around a public square
or in front of a building.
Etymology: 16c, from It. piazza, from L. platea "courtyard, broad street," from
Gk. plateia (hodos) "broad (street)." Mistakenly applied in Eng. c.1642 to the
colonnade of Covent Garden, designed by Inigo Jones, rather than to the
marketplace itself; hence "the verandah of a house" (1724, chiefly Amer.Eng.).
Example sentence: It is believed that the extremes of the original Gallic town
were Piazza del Duomo and Via Andegari, which lies close to the Poldi-Pezzoli
Museum some 600 metres to the north.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
Pietà
22
noun (sometimes lowercase )
a representation of the Virgin Mary mourning over the body of the dead Christ,
usually shown held on her lap.
Etymology: 17c, from It., from L. pietatem (nom. pietas) "dutiful conduct,
kindness, piety".
Example sentence: Still clutching Victoria, Aunt Margaret ran to his other side,
her face that of the Virgin in a pieta.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
portico
noun
1.A porch, or a small space with a roof supported by columns, serving as the
entrance to a building.
Etymology: 17c, from It. portico, from L. porticus "colonnade, arcade," from
porta "gate". Specifically of the Painted Porch in Athens.
Example sentence: The complete plan, however, should have a surrounding
portico or ambulatory, as would have been normal in temples of this type. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
putto
noun
1.a representation, in a work of art (especially one from the Renaissance), of a
small, naked, winged child
Etymology: 17c: from It. putti "small boys," pl. of putto, from L. putus "boy,
child."
Example sentence: Shaped as a tower with four columns supported by putti
which in turn support a gallery and domed roof, it is one of only two such pieces
known to exist and is estimated to realise £40–60,000, even though the putto on
the roof is missing. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
relief
noun
23
1.the removal of stress or discomfort
2.the feeling associated with the removal of stress or dicomfort
3.something that relieves
4.the person who takes over a shift for another
1.aid or assistance offered in time of need
2.court-ordered compensation, aid, or protection, a redress
3.tax savings.
4.a type of artwork in which shapes or figures protrude from a flat background
5.the difference made noticeable by a variation in light or color
6.(geology) the different elevations of the earth's surface
Etymology: 17c: from It. rilievo, from rilevare "to raise," from L. relevare "to
raise, lighten".
Example sentence: Although the exterior of this building was plain in brick and
stucco, the interior was magnificent in colour and decoration with marble faced
walls and floors and a wealth of sculpture and relief ornamentation much of
which was brought from Greece. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
replica
noun
1.an exact copy.
1.a copy made at a smaller scale of the original.
Etymology: 19c: from It. replica "copy, repetition, reply," from L. replicare "to
repeat". Properly, a copy of a work of art made by the original artist. Replicate, in
this sense, is from 1882; genetic sense is first recorded 1957.
Example sentence: A class can fill and light a replica pottery Roman oil lamp,
whereas a 2000-year-old original would need to be handled with great care. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
rotunda
noun
1.a round building, usually small, often with a dome
24
Etymology: 17c, from It. rotonda, especially the Pantheon, from L. rotunda, fem.
of rotundus "round". Meaning "circular hall or room within a building" is from
1780. Example sentence: Each rotunda was devoted to a different aspect of recent
Czech history. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
sepia
noun
1.(archaic) The cuttlefish.
2.A dark brown pigment made from the secretions of the cuttlefish.
3.(colour) A dark, slightly reddish, brown colour.
4. A sepia-coloured drawing or photograph.
adjective
1.(colour) of a dark reddish-brown colour.
Etymology: 19c: from It. seppia "cuttlefish" (borrowed with that meaning in Eng.
by 1569), from L. sepia "cuttlefish," from Gk. sepia, related to sepein "to make
rotten". The color was that of brown paint or ink prepared from the fluid
secretions of the cuttlefish. Meaning "a sepia drawing" is recorded from 1863.
Example sentence: Under the sepia of the sky only starlight shone on the frost
around her. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
seraglio
noun
1.The palace of the Grand Seignior in Constantinople.
2.The sequestered living quarters used by wives and concubines in a Turkish
Muslim household.
3.A brothel or place of debauchery.
4.An interior cage or enclosed courtyard for keeping wild beasts.
Etymology: 16c: "harem," also the name of a former palace of the sultan in
Istanbul, from It. seraglio, alteration of Turk. saray "palace, court," from Pers.
sara'i "palace, inn," from Iranian base *thraya- "to protect" (cf. avestan thrayeinti
25
"they protect"). The It. word probably reflects folk etymology influence of
serraglio "enclosure, cage," from M.L. serraculum "bung, stopper".
Example sentence: Although she had an unpleasant feeling that she did know
who formed the current centrepiece of this particular seraglio. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
sgraffito
noun
1.A technique in ceramics, art and wall design, where the top layer of pigment or
slip is scratched through to reveal an underlying layer.
Etymology: 18c: sgraffito is borrowed from the Italian, which derives from the
Greek graphein, meaning "to write or scratch."
Example sentence: Sumner became the leading English exponent of the technique
of sgraffito, a method of decorating walls by incising designs on coloured plaster;
he decorated eleven churches and several private houses in this way. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
sienna
noun
1.a form of clay containing iron and manganese.
2.a pigment with a reddish-brown color, colour.
3.a reddish-brown colour.
adjective
1.(colour) having a reddish-brown colour.
Etymology: 18c: from It. terra di Sienna "earth of Siena," city in central Italy,
where the coloring material was first produced. The city name probably is from
Senones, the name of a Gaulish people who settled there in ancient times.
Example sentence: Burnt sienna, with its rich, luminous red, makes an ideal
colour for adding warmth to natural brick.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
soffit
noun
26
1.The visible underside of an arch, balcony, beam, cornice, staircase, vault or any
other architectural element.
Etymology: 15c: from It. soffita, fem. of soffitto "ceiling," originally "fixed
beneath," from L. sub- "under" + pp. of figere "to fix, fasten".
Example sentence: The curved soffit is finished with a strip of expanded metal
mesh, which is plastered over; or you can use hardboard bent to shape and tacked
into place. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
studio
noun
1. The workroom of an artist or photographer;
2. A room in which music recordings, or TV or radio programmes, are made;
3. The premises of a company making any of these.
4. A company that produces films;
5. The premises where films are produced.
Etymology: Early 19c: from It. studio "room for study," from L. studium. Motion
picture sense first recorded 1911; radio broadcasting sense 1922; television sense
1938. Studio apartment first recorded 1903.
Example sentence: Whether we have in mind the student teacher, or the art
student in the studio, or the student nurse, practical experience necessarily calls
for a degree of personal involvement by the student and to that extent it is
desirable.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
stucco
noun
1. A fine plaster that is used for coating indoor walls and ceilings and for forming
decorative cornices, mouldings, etc.
2. A rougher kind of plaster or cement used for coating outside walls.
verb
1. To coat with or mould out of stucco.
27
Etymology: 16c: from It. stucco, from a Gmc. source (cf. O.H.G. stukki "crust,
piece, fragment"). The verb is attested from 1726.
Example sentence: The stucco on the houses that rose like cliffs of grey stone in
the rue de Sèvres was enough to depress me in itself, blotched as it was with
building acne, let alone the drains blocked with refuse and the greasy pipes round
which foaming suds slept fitfully. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
tempera
noun
1.A medium used to bind pigments in painting, as well as the associated artistic
techniques.
Etymology: 19c: from It. tempera (in phrase pingere a tempera), from temperare
"to mix colors, temper," from L. temperare "to mix".
Example sentence: Soft haired brushes are mostly used for watercolour or
tempera painting, with bristle mainly for oils. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
terra-cotta
noun
1.an unglazed hard-baked clay pottery
2.(colour) a reddish brown colour, like that of terra cotta.
adjective
1.(colour) of a reddish brown colour, like that of terra cotta.
Etymology: 18c: from It. terra cotta, lit. "cooked earth," from terra "earth" +
cotta "baked," from L. cocta, fem. pp. of coquere. As a color name for brownish-
red, attested from 1882.
Example sentence: A balustrade ran round its flat roof with terra cotta urns at
each corner, outlined sharply against the blue sky. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
umber
noun
28
1.A brown or reddish pigment used in painting, obtained from certain natural
clays variously colored by the oxides of iron and manganese.
2.(colour) a reddish brown colour, like that of the pigment.
adjective
1.(colour) of a reddish brown colour, like that of the pigment.
Etymology: 16c: from M.Fr. ombre (in terre d'ombre), or It. ombra (in terra di
ombra), both from either L. umbra "shade, shadow" or from Umbra, fem. of
Umber "belonging to Umbria," region in central Italy from which the coloring
matter first came. Burnt umber, specially prepared and redder in color, is attested
from c.1650.
Example sentence: Floodlighting reflected from the silvery burnt umber cladding
of the walls as though ice-ghosts danced there, and set the green columns aglow. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
villa
noun
1.A house, often larger and more expensive than average, in the countryside or on
the coast, often used as a retreat.
2.(UK) A family house, often semi-detached, in a middle class street.
3.In ancient Rome, a country house, with farm buildings around a courtyard.
Etymology: 17c, from It. villa "country house, villa, farm," from L. villa "country
house, farm," related to vicus "village, group of houses,".
Example sentence: Rather than have his son and his wife Anne endure the desert
country, he found them a rented villa in Malta. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
virtu
noun
1. excellence in an object of art, passion for works of art.
Etymology: 18c: from It. virtu "excellence," from L. virtutem (nom. virtus)
"virtue". The same word as virtue, borrowed during a period when everything
Italian was in vogue. Sometimes spelled vertu, after Fr., but this is unjustified, as
this sense of the word is not in Fr.
29
Example sentence: I have no will to try proof-bringing Or say where it hath birth
What is its virtu and power Its being and every moving Or delight whereby t is
called "to love" Or if man can show it to sight. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
virtuoso
noun
1. Someone with remarkable artistic skill, especially a brilliant musical performer;
2. Someone with a great knowledge or collection of fine art.
Etymology: 17c: from It. virtuoso (pl. virtuosi), noun use of adj. meaning "skilled,
learned, of exceptional worth," from L.L. virtuosus. Meaning "person with great
skill" (as in music) is first attested 1743.
Example sentence: It is said that they play none really well but this was not true
of Tom who looked like becoming a child virtuoso of the flute.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
6.2. FOOD AND CULINARY TERMS
al dente
adjective
1.(pasta) firm, used of pasta which is "just right".
Etymology: 20c, from It., lit. "to the tooth".
Example sentence: Cook spaghetti in a pot of boiling water for about 9 minutes
or until al dente.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
amaretto
noun
1.A liqueur originating from Italy, flavored with almonds or the pits from
apricots, peaches, cherry, cherries, or other stone-fruits.
Etymology: 20c: from the It. word for almond (q.v.), (amaretto, meaning "little
bitter"). A type of sweetened sherry, is attested from c.1870.
30
Example sentence: So it's pumpkin pie with cranberries and amaretto cookies
and pecans. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
antipasto
noun
1.an Italian starter for a meal; normally a cold assortment of salami, cheese,
seafood and vegetables
Etymology: 20c: from It., from anti- "before" + pasto "food." Earlier Anglicized
as antepast (1590).
Example sentence: Salami are best served as an antipasto, in sandwiches, with
salads or eaten with a little cheese and fresh crusty bread. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
artichoke
noun
1.an edible plant related to the thistle
Etymology: 16c: from articiocco, Northern Italian variant of It. arcicioffo, from
O.Sp. alcarchofa, from Arabic al-hursufa "artichoke." The plant was known in
Italy by 1450s, brought to Florence from Naples in 1466, and introduced in
England in the reign of Henry VIII. Fr. artichaut (16c.), Ger. Artischocke (16c.)
both are also from Italian.
Example sentence: She had thrown the artichoke leaves into a bucket and turned
to slap and stir the milk again. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
arugula noun
1.A yellowish-flowered Mediterranean herb of the mustard family; which has
flavoured leaves, often eaten in salads.
Etymology: 20c: the Amer.Eng. and Australian form of the name is (via Italian
immigrants) from dial. variant of It. ruchetta, a dim. form of ruca-, from L. eruca,
a name of some cabbage-like plant.
31
Example sentence: At the table opposite, an androgynous waif-cum-designer bag
lady munches her arugula salad. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
barista
noun
1.A person who serves behind the counter in a coffee shop.
Etymology: as a purely English word in use by 1992, from It., where it is said to
derive ult. from the Eng. bar (2), as borrowed into Italian. The word is of generic
gender and may be applied with equal accuracy to women and men (it is said that
the typical barista in Italy is a man).
Example sentence: Bolan sat but the two men said nothing until the barista
arrived with a carafe of hot coffee and then departed.
(Acquired from http://www.americancorpus.org/,14.02.2010)
biscotto
noun
A crisp Italian cookie traditionally flavored with anise and often containing
almonds or filberts
Etymology: late 20c: from It. biscotti, pl. of biscotto, from O.It. biscotto, from
M.L. biscoctum.
Example sentence: Terry ate a biscotto and frowned at her hand some more. I
was still full of aerial bread.
(Acquired from http://www.americancorpus.org/,14.02.2010)
bologna
noun
1. a large seasoned sausage made of finely ground meat, usually beef and pork,
that has been cooked and smoked.
Etymology: 19c: variant of bologna sausage (1596), named for the city in Italy,
from L. bononia, which either represents Gaul. bona "foundation, fortress," or
Boii, the name of the Gaulish people who occupied the region 4c. B.C.E. (baloney
slang for "nonsense," 1922, Amer.Eng., from earlier sense of "idiot" (perhaps
32
influenced by blarney), usually regarded as being from bologna sausage, a type
traditionally made from odds and ends.
Example sentence: By the end of his testimony, North had become a haircut, a
logo for T-shirts, a doll, a cocktail, a hero sandwich (" red-blooded American
beef, a little bologna, shredded lettuce, Swiss cheese"), … (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
broccoli
noun broccolis (plural in sense 1 only)
1. A type of cultivated cabbage grown for its green leafy stalks and branched
heads of flower buds. Also called sprouting broccoli.
2. The immature buds of this plant, eaten as a vegetable.
Etymology: 17c: from It., pl. of broccolo "a sprout, cabbage sprout," dim. of
brocco "shoot, protruding tooth, small nail".
Example sentence: The moon lay in the tree-tops like a squashed Gouda in a dish
of broccoli. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
calamari
noun
1.squid, especially as food
Etymology: 16c, from It. calamari, from L. calamarius, lit. "pertaining to a pen,"
from calamus, lit. "reed." So called from the cuttlefish's pen-like internal shell and
perhaps also from its being full of ink.
Example sentence: Even if she's afflicted with those dark curly sprouts which
creep up from the bikini line, ultimately shrouding the bellybutton in a rich hirsute
outcrop, she couldn't give a fried calamari. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
cappuccino
noun
1. Coffee with frothy hot milk and usually dusted with chocolate powder on top.
33
Etymology: 20c: Italian, meaning Capuchin, because the colour of the coffee was
thought to resemble the colour of these monks’ habits or to the aspect of their
tonsured (white) heads, surrounded by a ring of brown hair.
Example sentence: Later, he sat in a café, drinking cappuccino, and watched his
own obituary on the network news. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
carpaccio
noun
Very thinly sliced raw meat or fish, especially beef or tuna, garnished with a
sauce.
Etymology: late 20c., from It., often connected to the name of Renaissance
painter Vittore Carpaccio (c.1460–1526) but without any plausible explanation
except perhaps that his pictures often feature an orange-red hue reminiscent of
some raw meat.
Example sentence: Remove the top layer of plastic wrap and invert the carpaccio
onto a plate.
(Acquired from http://www.americancorpus.org/,14.02.2010)
cauliflower
noun
1. a form of cultivated plant, Brassica oleracea botrytis, of the mustard family,
whose inflorescence forms a compact, usually whitish head.
2. this head, used as a vegetable.
Etymology: 16c, originally cole florye, from It. cavoli fiori "flowered cabbage,"
pl. of cavolo "cabbage" + fiore "flower".
Stephanie put food on the table: roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes,
cauliflower. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
ciabatta
noun
A broad, flat, white Italian bread made with olive oil
34
Etymology: 20c: from It. ciabatta, lit. "carpet slipper," so called for its shape;
from the same source that produced Fr. sabot, Sp. zapata.
Example sentence: As well as the great British breads like Bloomer, Cottage
Farmhouse and Cob, there's a variety of cosmopolitan breads like bagels,
ciabatta, focaccia, petit pain, pitta, naan and rye that are made from brown or
white flours.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
coffee
noun
1. a beverage consisting of a decoction or infusion of the roasted ground or
crushed seeds (coffee beans) of the two-seeded fruit (coffee berry) of certain
coffee trees.
2. the seeds or fruit themselves.
3. any tropical tree or shrub of the genus Coffea, of the madder family, esp. C.
arabica and C. canephora, cultivated commercially.
4. a cup of coffee: We ordered four coffees and three doughnuts.
5. a social gathering at which coffee and other refreshments are served.
6. medium to dark brown.
adjective
1. coffee-colored
Etymology: 17c: from It. caffe, from Turk. kahveh, from Arabic qahwah "coffee,"
said originally to have meant "wine," but perhaps rather from Kaffa region of
Ethiopia, a home of the plant (Coffee in Kaffa is called buno). Yemen was the
first great coffee exporter and to protect its trade decreed that no living plant could
leave the country. In 16c., a Muslim pilgrim brought some coffee beans from
Yemen and raised them in India. Appeared in Europe (from Arabia) c.1515-1519.
Introduced to England by 1650; by 1675 England had more than 3,000 coffee
houses. Coffee plantations established in Brazil 1727. Meaning "a light meal at
which coffee is served" is from 1774.
Example sentence: "This coffee tastes like washing-up water."
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
35
confetti
plural noun, singular confetto
1. (used with a singular verb ) small bits of paper, usually colored, thrown or
dropped from a height to enhance the gaiety of a festive event, as a parade,
wedding, or New Year's Eve party.
2. confections; bonbons.
Etymology: 19c: from It. pl. of confetto "sweetmeat," from L. confectum, pp. of
confectus, a small candy traditionally thrown during carnivals in Italy, custom
adopted in England for weddings and other occasions, with symbolic tossing of
paper.
Example sentence: Tiny white blossoms patterned the pavement like confetti. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
espresso
expresso
noun
1. Coffee made by forcing steam or boiling water through ground coffee beans.
2. The machine for making this.
Etymology: 20c: from It. caffe espresso, from espresso "pressed out," from pp. of
esprimere, from L. exprimere "press out"
Example sentence: When she'd finished, he put down his cup of espresso,
propped his elbow on the table and put his chin in his hand. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
gelato
noun
1.Italian frozen dessert made from milk and sugar, combined with other
flavourings. The ingredients are super-cooled while stirring to break up ice
crystals as they form. category:Italian derivations
adjective (it-adj, gelat)
1.icy, frozen, (very) cold
Etymology: 20c: From Italian past participle of gelare, "to freeze".
36
Example sentence: MAKE A DESSERT SHE'LL REMEMBER Gelato is denser
and creamier than ice cream. (Acquired from http://www.americancorpus.org/,14.02.2010)
grappa
noun
1.(uncountable) An Italian grape-based spirit of between 80 and 100 proof, made
from the distillation of pomace; (countable) a variety of grappa.
Etymology: 19c: from It., lit. "grapes".
Example sentence: "If you English tourists get too powerful around here," he told
me over a glass of grappa, and with a particularly charming smile, "I think I can
remember where the old machine-guns are buried." (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
gusto
noun
1. Enthusiastic enjoyment; zest.
Etymology: 17c: from It. gusto "taste," from L. gustus "a tasting," related to
gustare "to taste".
Example sentence: They took to the path with gusto, he finding the line
somewhere between the nearside bank and the middle ridge, while the other more
or less followed in the wake, content to orchestrate himself around the camera
with his umbrella.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
lasagna
noun
1.flat sheet of pasta.
2.an Italian baked dish comprising layers of (1) with (usually) bolognese and
bechamel sauce.
Etymology: 18c, from It. (pl. is lasagne), from V.L. *lasania, from L. lasanum "a
pot," from Gk. lasanon "pot with feet, trivet"
Example sentence: But who'd have expected great lasagna?
37
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
latte
noun
1.A drink of coffee prepared from one or two shots of espresso mixed with
steamed milk and topped with foam.
Etymology: by 1990, espresso coffee with milk, short for caffè latte, from It., lit.
"milk coffee".
Example sentence: Natalie is across the street with members of our crowd
enjoying a latte. (Acquired from http://www.americancorpus.org/,14.02.2010)
linguini
plural noun
1. Flat ribbon-like strips of pasta.
Etymology: 20c: Italian plural of linguina "a little tongue".
Example sentence: "Sensible pastas" include spaghetti, fettucine or linguini
served with a sauce napoletana (with tomato, onion, basil and garlic), marinara
(with seafood, tomato and garlic), vongole (with white wine, tomatoes and clams),
or al tonno (with wine and tuna). (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
macaroni
noun
1. Pasta in the form of short narrow tubes.
2. historical
In 18c Britain: a dandy, especially one who travelled abroad or imitated foreign
habits, etc.
Etymology: 16c: from southern It. dialect maccaroni (It. maccheroni), pl. of
maccarone, possibly from maccare "bruise, batter, crush," of unknown origin, or
from late Gk. makaria "food made from barley." Used after c.1764 to mean "fop,
dandy" (the "Yankee Doodle" reference) because it was an exotic dish at a time
when certain young men who had traveled the continent were affecting Fr. and It.
38
fashions and accents. There is said to have been a Macaroni Club in Britain,
which was the immediate source of the term.
Example sentence: Sprinkle over macaroni with sesame seeds. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
macchiato
noun
1.espresso topped with steamed milk.
Etymology: probably 20c: from It. macchiato, "stained". From Latin maculatus
"stained".
Example sentence: Now look Nancy, on a ride there are only two coffee drinks
you can order: a double espresso or a double macchiato. (Acquired from http://www.americancorpus.org/,14.02.2010)
maraschino
noun
A cordial made from the fermented juice and crushed pits of the marasca cherry.
Etymology: 18c: "cherry liqueur," from It. maraschino, "strong, sweet liqueur
made from juice of the marasca," a bitter black cherry, aphetic of amarasca, from
amaro "bitter," from L. amarus "sour,". Maraschino cherry, one preserved in real
or imitation maraschino, first recorded 1820.
Example sentence: (Add brandy or maraschino if required.) (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
parmesan
noun
1.A hard, full-fat Italian cheese from Parma
Etymology: 16c: from It. Parmegiano, from Parma, city in northern Italy, one of
the places where the cheese is made. The place name is ult. from Etruscan. Full
form parmeson chese is recorded from 1519.
Example sentence: It must be cooked à la Didier with the most delicate of white
wine sauces or in a soufflé with a touch of parmesan cheese. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
39
pasta
noun
1. A dough made with flour, water and eggs, shaped into a variety of forms such
as spaghetti, macaroni, lasagne, etc.
2. A cooked dish of this, usually served with a sauce.
Etymology: 19c: from It. pasta, from L.L. pasta "dough, pastry cake, paste," from
Gk. pasta "barley porridge," probably originally "a salted mess of food," from
neut. pl. of pastos (adj.) "sprinkled, salted," from passein "to sprinkle."
Example sentence: If you visit the USA, do try to find some of the very large
pasta shells that are available there --; one of these per person makes a wonderful
starter. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
pepperoni
noun
1.A spicy Italian sausage.
2.A slice of pizza.
adjective
1.pizza covered in slices of pepperoni.
2.(rare) anything covered in slices of pepperoni.
Etymology: 20c: Amer.Eng., from Italian peperoni, pl. of peperone, pimento, red
pepper, augmentative of pepe, pepper, from Latin piper.
Example sentence: Reduce the heat, add the pepperoni and raisins and cook for 1
minute. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
pesto
noun
1.A sauce, especially for pasta, originating from the Genoa region, made from
basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and cheese (usually Pecorino).
40
Etymology: 20c: from It. pesto, contracted form of pestato, pp. of pestare "to
pound, to crush," in ref. to the crushed herbs and garlic in it, from L. root of
pestle.
Example sentence: There are some excellent commercial pesto sauces available,
but always be prepared to pay for one made with olive oil and not a lighter, less
flavoursome oil. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
pistachio
noun
1.A deciduous tree, Pistacia vera, grown in parts of Asia for its drupaceous fruit
2.The nutlike fruit of this tree
Etymology: 16c: from It. pistacchio, from L. pistacium "pistachio nut". Borrowed
earlier (1533) as pystace, from O.Fr. form pistace (13c.).
Example sentence: She eats a pistachio nut, and fastens her locket. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
pizza
noun
1. A circle of dough spread with cheese, tomatoes, etc and baked, made originally
in Italy.
Etymology: 20c: from It. pizza, originally "cake, tart, pie," of uncertain origin. A
connection with M.Gk. pitta "cake, pie," from Gk. pitta "pitch." is suggested.
Pizzeria is attested from 1943, likely in use in Amer.Eng. from 1930s.
Example sentence: During the day, take your pick of anything from a pizza to a
sizzling steak served at the poolside barbecue grill --; and afternoon coffee takes
on a flavour all of its own when enjoyed with a fresh pastry cooked before your
eyes. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
prosciutto
41
noun
1. An aged, dry-cured, spiced Italian ham that is usually sliced thin and served
without cooking.
Etymology: 20c: from It., alteration (probably by infl. of prosciugato "dried") of
presciutto, from pre-, intensive prefix + -sciutto, from L. exsuctus "lacking juice,
dried up," pp. of exsugere "suck out, draw out moisture," from ex- "out" + sugere
"to suck".
Example sentence: The children had finished laying out prosciutto and cheese
and hard-boiled eggs.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
provolone
noun
1. a mellow light-colored, Italian cheese, usually smoked after drying.
Also called provolone cheese.
Etymology: 20c: from It., augmentative of provola "cheese made from buffalo
milk," from M.L. probula, of uncertain origin.
Example sentence: Provolone is always made in unusual barrel shapes and tied
in cords, which are then used to hang the cheese while it is maturing. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
ravioli
singular or plural noun
1. Small square pasta cases with a savoury filling of meat, cheese, etc.
Etymology: 19c: Italian. The word probably was re-borrowed several times, most
recently in 1841, from It. ravioli, a dialectal plural of raviolo, a diminutive,
perhaps of rava "turnip."
Example sentence: He orders ravioli with foie gras and white truffle shavings. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
salami
noun (uncountable)
42
1.A highly seasoned type of large sausage of Italian origin, typically made from
chopped pork or beef and often garlic, and served in slices.
2.(baseball) A grand slam
Etymology: 19c: from It. salami, pl. of salame "spiced pork sausage," from V.L.
*salamen, from *salare "to salt," from L. sal "salt".
Example sentence: "It's so bloody elitist," complains Annie through a mouthful of
salami. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
scampi
noun
1.a large cooked shrimp
2.a langoustine or Dublin Bay prawn
Etymology: 20c: pl. of It. scampo "prawn," ult. from Gk. kampe "a bending, a
winding". Example sentence: White-jacketed waiters tiptoed reverently around them,
pouring hock with the frozen scampi, a claret with a fruity, full-bodied label to go
with the reheated roast lamb. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
semolina
noun
1. The hard particles of wheat not ground into flour during milling, used for
thickening soups, making puddings, etc.
Etymology: 18c: alteration of It. semolino, dim. of semola "bran," from L. simila
"the finest flour," probably from the same Semitic source as Gk. semidalis "the
finest flour" (cf. Assyrian samidu, Syrian semida "fine meal").
Example sentence: At seven-thirty an officer brought in a tray with a bowl of
semolina mixed with stewed dry fruit. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
soda
noun
43
1.(uncountable) sodium carbonate, Sodium carbonate.
2.(uncountable) Sodium in chemical combination.
3.(uncountable) Carbonated water (originally made with sodium bicarbonate).
4.(context, US, uncountable) Any carbonated (usually sweet) soft drink.
5.(context, US, countable) A glass, bottle or can of this drink.
Etymology: 15c: "alkaline substance," from It. sida (or M.L. soda) "a kind of
saltwort," from which soda is obtained, probably from Arabic suwwad, the name
of a variety of saltwort exported from North Africa to Sicily in the Middle Ages,
related to sawad "black," the color of the plant. The meaning "carbonated water"
is first recorded 1834, a shortening of soda water (1802).
Example sentence: Jay stuck to white wine and soda, fearing the fragile
floodgates on her anger and pain. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
spaghetti
noun
1. A type of pasta that is in the form of long thin solid string-like strands.
2. A dish made from this kind of pasta.
Etymology: 19c: Italian, from spaghetto, from spago “a thin rope or cord”.
Spaghetti Western (one filmed in Italy) first attested 1969. Spaghetti strap is from
1972.
Example sentence: Once Endill asked for a box of nails and Wednesday returned
ten minutes later with a tin of spaghetti. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
spumante
noun
1. A sparkling, usually sweet Italian wine.
Etymology: Early 20c: from It., lit. "sparkling.", from spumare “to froth”.
Example sentence: Citalia VALUE Grand Hotel Terme All guests receive
spumante and flowers on arrival.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
44
spumone
noun
1. an Italian style of ice cream of a very fine and smooth texture, usually
containing layers of various colors and flavors and chopped fruit or nuts.
also, spumoni
Etymology: 20c: from It. spumone (sing.), spumoni (pl.), from spuma "foam,"
from L. spuma.
Example sentence: Calder was ready to leave, but Larch ordered spumoni. (Acquired from http://www.americancorpus.org/,14.02.2010)
tortellini
noun (plural)
1.small, ring-shaped pasta, stuffed with meat, cheese etc; eaten with a sauce or in
a soup.
Etymology: 20c: from It., pl. of tortellino, dim. of tortello "cake, fritter," itself a
dim. of torta.
Example sentence: Filled pasta shapes, such as ravioli and tortellini, make an
instant meal with some prepared tomato sauce.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
trattoria
noun
1. a usually inexpensive or informal restaurant or cafe specializing in Italian
dishes.
Etymology: 19c: from It., from trattore "host, keeper of an eating house," from
trattare "to treat," from L. tractare, freq. of trahere (pp. tractus) "to draw".
Example sentence: I can't face the canteen but there's a trattoria round the
corner. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
tutti-frutti
noun
45
1. a preserve of chopped mixed fruits, often with brandy syrup.
2. a confection, esp. ice cream, flavored with a variety of fruits, usually candied
and minced.
3. a synthetic flavoring combining the flavors of a variety of fruits: tutti-frutti
chewing gum.
Etymology: 19c: from It. tutti frutti "all fruits," from tutti, pl. of tutto "all" + frutti,
pl. of frutto "fruit." Example sentence: When they both sat straight up, their chins rose higher than a
green bottle of tutti-frutti flavoring. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
vermicelli
noun
1. Pasta in very thin strands, thinner than spaghetti.
2. Tiny splinters of chocolate used for decorating desserts and cakes.
Form: chocolate vermicelli (also)
Etymology: 17c: from It., pl. of vermicello, dim. of verme, acc. sing. of L. vermis
"worm". So called for resemblance.
Example sentence: Bilaleet was less enjoyable for me as I couldn't get used to
sweet vermicelli, but then I never liked rice pudding either.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
zabaglione
zabaione
noun
1. cookery.
A dessert made from egg-yolks, sugar and wine (usually Marsala), whisked
together over a gentle heat.
Etymology: 19c: From the Italian, from the Latin sabai, (an Illyrian drink) + -one,
(an Italian suffix).
Example sentence: She slept until Annunziata came to call her soon after five
with a bowl of zabaglione, which Julia had never tasted until her illness.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
46
zucchini
noun
1. a variety of summer squash that is shaped like a cucumber and that has a
smooth, dark-green skin.
2. the plant bearing this fruit.
Also called, especially British, courgette.
Etymology: 20c: from Italian, pl. of zucchino, dim. of zucca "gourd, squash,"
perhaps from L.L. cucutia, of unknown origin.
Example sentence: "Oh, I will never get it clean!" ran through her mind, but
already there was worse to witness for a plate of spinach was already spattered on
the tiles of the fireplace and a bowl of zucchini sailed out of the window.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
6.3. LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
lingua franca
noun
1.a language used by people of diverse speech to communicate with one another,
often a basic form of speech with simplified grammar. Nowadays, this term
mainly refers to the English language.
Etymology: 17c: from It., lit. "Frankish tongue." Originally a form of
communication used in the Levant, a stripped-down It. peppered with Spanish,
French, Greek, Arabic, and Turkish words. The name is probably from the Arabic
custom, dating back to the Crusades, of calling all Europeans Franks.
Example sentence: The only lingua franca this lot shared was English, and they
didn't speak English. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
motto
noun
1. A phrase adopted by a person, family, etc as a principle of behaviour;
47
2. Such a phrase appearing on a coat of arms, crest, etc.
3. A printed phrase or verse contained in a paper cracker.
4. A quotation at the beginning of a book or chapter, hinting at what is to follow.
Etymology: 17c: from It. motto "a saying, legend attached to a heraldic design,"
from L.L. muttum "grunt, word," from L. muttire "to mutter, mumble, murmur."
Example sentence: His family motto is "Look For A Brave Spirit". (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
pun
noun
1.A joke or type of wordplay in which similar senses or sounds of two words or
phrases, or different senses of the same word, are deliberately confused.
Etymology: 17c: probably a clipped form of pundigron, which is perhaps a
humorous alteration of It. puntiglio "equivocation, trivial objection," dim. of L.
punctum "point." The verb is attested from 1670. Johnson has also punster,
defined as "a low wit who endeavours at reputation by double meaning."
Example sentence: "The snow's very loose on the Wildhorn at this time of year
and all it took was a small charge to start the ball rolling, if you'll excuse the pun. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
scenario
noun
1.An outline of the plot of a dramatic or literary work.
2.A screenplay itself, or an outline or a treatment of it.
3.An outline or model of an expected or supposed sequence of events.
Etymology: 19c: from It. scenario, from L.L. scenarius "of stage scenes," from L.
scena "scene". Meaning "imagined situation" is first recorded 1962.
Example sentence: In that scenario, children will then go to school only to gain
social skills and join in curricular and other group activities. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
sonnet
noun
48
1.a fixed verse form of Italian origin consisting of fourteen lines that are typically
five-foot iambics rhyming according to a prescribed scheme
Etymology: 16c: from Fr. sonnet (1543) or directly from It. sonetto, lit. "little
song," from O.Prov. sonet "song," dim. of son "song, sound," from L. sonus
"sound". Originally in Eng. also "any short lyric poem;" precise meaning is from
It., where Petrarch (14c.) developed a scheme of an eight-line stanza (rhymed
abba abba) followed by a six-line stanza (cdecde, the Italian sestet, or cdcdcd, the
Sicilian sestet). Shakespeare developed the English Sonnet for his rhyme-poor
native tongue: three Sicilian quatrains followed by a heroic couplet
(ababcdcdefefgg).
Example sentence: Thus the best account of a picture may well be a sonnet or an
elegy … as for criticism properly so-called … (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
stanza
noun
1. A verse in poetry.
Etymology: 16c: from It. stanza "verse of a poem," originally "standing, stopping
place," from V.L. stantia "a stanza of verse," so called from the stop at the end of
it, from L. stans (gen. stantis), prp. of stare "to stand".
Example sentence: The visitor of the last stanza comes "more violent, more
profound, / One soul, disdainful or disdained," and in the condition of the year-
spirit or,… (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
trill
noun
1.(music) A rapid alternation between an indicated note and the one above it,
usually indicated with the letters tr written above the staff.
2.(context, phonetics) A type of consonantal sound that is produced by vibrations
of the tongue against the place of articulation, for example, Spanish rr.
Etymology: 17c, from It. trillio, triglio "a quavering or warbling in singing,"
probably of imitative origin. The verb is 1666, from It. trillare "to quaver, trill."
49
Example sentence: Call a loud shrill penetrating "cheee" or "chikeee"; song,
rarely heard, a whistling trill. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
6.4. MUSIC
a cappella
adj, adverb
1. Said of choral music: unaccompanied.
Etymology: 19c: earlier alla capella, from It., "in the manner of the chapel," lit.
"according to the chapel," from cappella "chapel." Originally in ref. to older
church music (pre-1600) which was written for unaccompanied voices; applied
20c. to unaccompanied vocal music generally.
Example sentence: However it is evident that he intended something different
from the simple a cappella doubling of voices by instruments, and this
"something different" became known as the "concerted style" (stile concertato), a
"consort" of voices and instruments. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
adagio
noun
1.(music) A tempo mark directing that a passage is to be played rather slowly,
leisurely and gracefully
2.(music) A passage having this mark
adjective
1.(music) describing a passage having this mark
adverb
1.(music) played rather slowly
Etymology: 18c: from It., from ad- "to, at" + agio "leisure," from V.L. adjacens,
prp. of adjacere "to lie at, to lie near" (cf. ease, adjacent). In musical sense of "a
slow movement" (n.), first attested 1784.
50
Example sentence: After a dress rehearsal for a Symphony Hour show, I
suggested, as producer, that in the adagio movement of the main symphonic item
the violins had been taking the tempo slightly too fast. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
allegro
adverb
1. In a quick lively manner.
adj
1. Quick and lively.
noun
1. A piece of music to be played in this way.
Etymology: 18c: from It. allegro "cheerful, gay," from L. alacer (fem. alacris)
"lively, cheerful, brisk"
Example sentence: After a shadowy introduction, the opening allegro is sharp
and vehement, the slow movement shot through with unease, and the Scherzo
faintly menacing in its nocturnal rustlings. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
alto
noun
1. The lowest female singing voice. Also called contralto.
2. The singing voice of a counter-tenor.
3. Someone with either of these types of singing voice.
4. A part or piece of music written for a voice or instrument at this pitch.
adj
1. Said of a musical instrument, etc: having a high pitch.
Etymology: 16c: Italian, from Latin altus high. Now more commonly applied to
the lower range of women's voices (which is more strictly the contralto),
Example sentence: So that for example an alto doesn't need so many notes, high
notes, but needs a few more lower notes.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
51
aria
noun
1. music.
A long accompanied song for one voice, especially in an opera or oratorio.
Etymology: 18c: Italian, meaning lit. ‘air’
Example sentence: He tried out a badly scratched recording of Dame Nellie
Melba singing an operatic aria from Pagliacci which he had found tucked away
between a box of rusting tools and a sack of potatoes in the corner of his shed. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
basso
noun
1.(music) A bass singer, especially in opera.
2.(music) An instrumental part written for a bass instrument.
Etymology: 20c: from It., "bass, a bass voice," from It. basso, from L.L. bassus.
Example sentence: …because she used to be married to a black man from South
Carolina who sang basso at charity concerts…
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
bel canto
noun Music.
1.a smooth, cantabile style of singing.
Etymology: 19c: from It., lit. "fine song."
Example sentence: Imagine your favourite operatic tenor is singing your
favourite aria just for you, perfect bel canto, every syllable clear, yet hushed and
honeyed, subduing a richly passionate voice and modulating it with an effect of
caged power! (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
bravura
noun
1.(music) a highly technical or difficult piece, usually written for effect
52
2.a display of daring
adjective
1.overly showy; ostentatious
Etymology: 18c: from It. "bravery, spirit". Sense of "display of brilliancy, dash" is
from 1813.
Example sentence: His artistic bravura may well have been inspired by his sense
of himself and it certainly encouraged him to become increasingly subjective. His
subjectivity, though, was to be his undoing. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
cadenza
noun
1.(music) A part of a piece of music, such as a concerto, that is very decorative
and is played by a single musician.
Etymology: 19c: from It. cadenza; the It. form of cadence.
Example sentence: More than ever is it apparent that Jack Brymer's beautifully
played long solo clarinet cadenza was recorded separately from the rest of the
score and in a slightly different acoustic, but this is only a very slight distraction. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
cantata
noun
1. (music) A vocal composition accompanied by instruments and generally
containing more than one movement, typical of 17th and 18th century Italian
music.
Etymology: 18c: from It. pp. of cantare "to sing,". Example sentence: There were many voices, screaming differently, loudly raised
in a badly orchestrated cantata.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
canzone
noun
53
1. a variety of lyric poetry in the Italian style, of Provençal origin, that closely
resembles the madrigal.
2. a poem in which each word that appears at the end of a line of the first stanza
appears again at the end of one of the lines in each of the following stanzas.
Etymology: 16c: from It., from L. cantionem "singing, song," from canere "to
sing". In It. or Prov., a song resembling the madrigal, but less strict in style.
Example sentence: And Keuris's sensitivity to the uniquely expressive flavour of
instrumental timbre was corroborated by Duncan Prescott's fluid performance in
the following concert of his Canzone for solo clarinet.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
capriccio
noun
1. Music. a composition in a free, irregular style.
2. a caper; prank.
3. a whim; caprice.
Etymology: 17c: as a term in music, from It. capriccio "sudden start or motion,"
apparently from capro "goat," from L. capreolus "wild goat." Earlier it meant
"prank, trick" (1660s); "caprice" (c.1600).
Example sentence: The quartet started with a short capriccio by Martian
composer Langetti, to be followed by some considerably older fare, with Schubert
and a bit of Bartok. (Acquired from http://www.americancorpus.org/, 14.02.2010)
concerto
noun
1.A piece of music for one or more solo instruments and orchestra.
Etymology: 18c: from It. concerto "concert, harmony", from concertare "bring
into agreement". Concerto grosso is from 1724.
Example sentence: "Like the sonata, the concerto also has the same seriousness
of purpose and it is very definitely large-scale in its emotional and musical
content, in spite of being set in just one single movement." (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
54
diva
noun
1. prima donna, the principal female singer of an opera company, or opera star.
2. A principal female in some other field, e.g. a prima ballerina.
3. Any female celebrity, usually a well known pop singer.
4. A person who considers herself (or by extension himself) much more
important than others, has high expectations of others and becomes angry when
their standards or demands are not met.
Etymology: 19c: from It. diva "goddess, fine lady," from L. diva "goddess," fem.
of divus "divine (one)."
Example sentence: We've got 100 copies of the album Freddie Mercury made
with opera diva Montserrat Caballe, Barcelona, to give away. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
duo
noun
1. A pair of musicians or other performers.
2. Any two people considered a pair.
3. music. A duet.
Etymology: 16c: via either It. or Fr. from L. duo "two"
Example sentence: Although they have worked as a duo since 1987 and have
built up a great following throughout these islands and abroad, their respective
musical experiences go back much further.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
fantasia
noun Music.
1. a composition in fanciful or irregular form or style
2. a potpourri of well-known airs arranged with interludes and florid
embellishments.
3. fantasy
4. something considered to be unreal, weird, exotic, or grotesque.
55
Etymology: 18c: from It. fantasia, from L. phantasia, from Gk. phantasia
"appearance, image, perception, imagination,"
Example sentence: The bright, glowing flute stop means that the florid opening
filigree of the decorative Fantasia in G (BWV572) projects attractively. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
finale
noun
1.The grand end of something, especially a show or piece of music.
Etymology: 18c: borrowed as a musical term from It. finale "final," from L. finalis
"final," from finis "end".
Example sentence: on the day itself, there is not only the opening of the presents,
and the party, but also the aftermath when it's all over to provide a fitting finale to
the day's activities. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
fugue
noun
1. music.
A style of composition in which a theme is introduced in one part and developed
as successive parts take it up.
Etymology: 16c: from It. fuga, lit. "flight," from L. fuga "act of fleeing," from
fugere "to flee". Current spelling is from influence of Fr. version of the It. word.
Example sentence: The following possibilities of choral orchestration are limited
to the most-used textures; traditional forms such as fugato, fugue, and canon are
omitted,… (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
impresario
noun
1.a manager or producer in the entertainment industry, especially music or theatre
56
Etymology: 18c: from It. impresario "operatic manager," lit. "undertaker (of a
business)," from impresa "undertaking," fem. of impreso, pp. of imprendere
"undertake," from V.L. imprendere, from L. in- "onto" + prehendere "to grasp".
Example sentence: The impresario scribbled on a copy of Arts-Spectacles and
turned it round to the girl. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
intermezzo
noun
1.A short piece of music or act in the interval of the main spectacle
Etymology: 19c: from It. intermezzo, from L. intermedius "that which is
between," from inter- "between" + medius "in the middle"
Example sentence: During the famous Intermezzo the conductor asked Mascagni
if he would take over for a moment. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
libretto
noun
1. The words or text of an opera, oratorio, or musical.
Etymology: 18c: from It. libretto, dim. of libro "book," from L. liber.
Example sentence: The libretto was regarded at the radio as something of a
masterpiece of translation and from time to time suitable composers had been
sought. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
madrigal
noun
1. music.
An unaccompanied part song, typically about love or nature, of a type that
originated in 14c Italy and became popular in England in the 16c and 17c.
2. A lyrical poem suitable for such treatment.
57
Etymology: 16c: from It. (Venetian) madregal "simple, ingenuous," from L.L.
matricalis "invented, original," lit. "of or from the womb," from matrix (gen.
matricis) "womb."
Example sentence: The lady was humming a madrigal. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
mandolin
mandoline
noun
1. A musical instrument like a small guitar. The eight metal strings are tuned in
pairs and usually played with a plectrum.
Etymology: 18c: from Italian mandolino, diminutive of mandora “a three-stringed
musical instrument”.
Example sentence: Try comparing a plucked note on a violin and on a mandolin
and you will certainly notice the difference.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
mezzo
adjective
1. middle; medium; half
noun
1. a mezzo-soprano
Etymology: 19c: from It., lit. "middle," from L. medius. Also used in
combinations such as mezzo-soprano (1753) and mezzotint (1738).
Example sentence: The voice had a curious quality, husky and high-pitched as if
uncertain whether it was a light tenor or a throaty mezzo-soprano. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
obbligato
noun
1.(music) A part of the score that must be played as written; a required part.
58
2.(music) An elaborate or flowery countermelody, often written to be played or
sung above the principal theme (in a higher pitch range). Frequently includes a
repetitive motif.
Etymology: 18c: from It., lit. "obligated," from L. obligatus, pp. of obligare "to
bind".
Example sentence: The obbligato flute part was sensitively played by David
Haslam. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
oboe
noun
1.A soprano and melody wind instrument in the modern orchestra and wind
ensemble. It is a smaller instrument and generally made of grendilla wood. It is a
member of the double reed family.
Etymology: 18c: from It. oboe, from M.Fr. hautbois (itself borrowed in Eng. 16c.
as hautboy), from haut "high" + bois "wood". So called because it had the highest
register among woodwind instruments.
Example sentence: The octave of oboe and clarinet is not very satisfactory, but
those of oboe and bassoon or oboe and horn are of excellent effect, particularly
the latter. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
ocarina
noun
1.(music) A woodwind musical instrument that is closed at both sides to produce
an enclosed space, and punctured with finger holes.
Etymology: 19c: from It. ocarina, dim. of oca "goose" (so called for its shape),
from V.L. auca, from L. avicula "small bird," dim. of avis "bird".
Example sentence: He was playing an ocarina. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
opera
noun
59
1. A dramatic work set to music, in which the singers are usually accompanied by
an orchestra.
2. The score or libretto, etc of such a work.
3. Operas as an art form.
4. A theatre where opera is performed.
5. A company that performs opera.
Etymology: 17c: from It. opera, lit. "a work," from L. opera "work, effort" (L.
plural regarded as fem. sing.), secondary (abstract) noun from operari "to work,"
from opus (gen. operis) "a work".
Example sentence: In the ritual legal opera only certain kinds of song can be
performed; only certain persons can sing. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
opera buffa
noun
1. Comic opera in the form that developed in Italy in the 18c, characterized by a
less formal style, light subject matter, and characters and plot drawn from
everyday life.
Etymology: 19c: Italian, meaning ‘comic opera’
Example sentence: In the summer of 1774 Wolfgang was commissioned to write
an opera buffa for the next carnival season in Munich. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
operetta
noun
1.(music): A lighter version of opera with a frivolous story and spoken dialogue
Etymology: 18c: from It. operetta, dim. of opera.
Example sentence: "Even when the operetta is set in Paris or St Petersburg, it is
always Viennese in style, with traditional Viennese costumes and turn of the
century sets. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
oratorio
60
noun
1.(music) a musical composition on a religious theme; similar to opera but with no
costume, scenery or acting
Etymology: 18c: (in Eng. 1644 in native form oratory), from It. oratorio (late
16c.), from Church L. oratorium, in ref. to musical services in the church of the
Oratory of St. Philip Neri in Rome, where old mystery plays were adapted to
religious services. Example sentence: The ends are various: here a visionary oratorio, there an
opera buffa; here a craggy piano etude, there a melting morceau de salon. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
piano
noun
1.A keyboard musical instrument, usually ranging over seven octaves, with white
and black keys, played by pressing these keys, causing hammers to strike strings.
adjective
1.(music) soft. Used as a dynamic directive in music, sheet music in its
abbreviated form, {p.}, to indicate lowering the volume of the music. In the
pianoforte this is done by pressing the instrument's keys more lightly.
Etymology: 19c: from Fr. piano, It. piano, shortened forms of pianoforte piano
(soft) + forte (strong). So named because older keyboard instruments, notably the
harpsichord and the clavier, could not produce varied volumes.(q.v.). As an adv.,
"softly," in musical directions (superl. pianissimo), attested from 1683. Pianist is
recorded from 1839, from Fr. pianiste, from It. pianista.
Example sentence: There were two black entertainers banging away at a piano. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
pianoforte
noun
1. The full formal term for a piano.
Etymology: 18c: from It., from piano e forte "soft and loud," in full, gravicembalo
col piano e forte "harpsichord with soft and loud" (c.1710), so called by inventor
B. Cristofori (1655-1731) of Padua because the ability via dampers to vary the
61
tone is one of the main changes from the harpsichord from Italian piano e forte
soft and loud.
Example sentence: Paul admitted modestly that he played the pianoforte a little,
although he was badly out of practice. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
presto
noun
1.(context, poker slang) A pair of fives as a starting hand in Texas hold 'em
adverb
1.(music) Very fast or quickly; a directive for the musician(s) to play in a very
quick tempo.
Etymology: 16c: "quickly," used by conjurers, etc., from It. presto "quick,
quickly" in conjuror's patter, from L. præstus "ready," præsto (adv.) "ready,
available," from præ "before" + stare "to stand,". As a musical direction, it is a
separate borrowing from It., first recorded 1683.
Example sentence: By the time you don't spill it any more, you're a waitress.
Presto. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
prima donna
noun
1. A leading female opera singer.
2. Someone difficult to please, especially someone given to melodramatic
tantrums when displeased.
Etymology: 18c: from It. prima donna "first lady," from L. prima, fem. of primus
"first" + domina "lady." Meaning "temperamental person" first recorded 1834.
Example sentence: But there's a new prima donna walking on stage right now. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
rondo
noun
62
1.a musical composition, commonly of a lively, cheerful character, in which the
first strain recurs after each of the other strains.
Etymology: 18c: from It. rondo, from Fr. rondeau, rondel, from O.Fr. rondel
"little round".
Example sentence: Although we only hear fragments of the storm, the music has
such presence, and its elements are so cunningly chosen, that we can quite well
imagine that the rondo form of the interlude is itself continuing outside in the
darkness. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
solo
noun
1. A piece of music, or a passage within it, for a single voice or instrument, with
or without accompaniment.
2. Any performance in which no other person or instrument participates.
3. A flight in which the pilot flies alone.
4. A card game based on whist, in which various declarations are made and the
declarer does not have a partner.
Etymology: 17c: Italian, from Latin solus alone. from It. solo, lit. "alone," from L.
solus "alone". The adj. is recorded from 1712; non-musical sense of "alone,
unassisted" is attested from 1909. The verb is first attested 1886. Soloist is from
1864. Latin solus was used in stage directions (1599) and in phrases solus cum
sola "alone with an unchaperoned woman" and solus cum solo "all on one's own,"
both lit. "alone with alone."
Example sentence: The lightest of touches is required here: avoid heavily
orchestrated music and opt instead for small ensembles or solo instruments --; or
leave out the music altogether and let the natural sound carry the scene.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
sonata
noun
63
sonatas
1. A piece of classical music written in three or more movements for a solo
instrument, especially the piano.
Etymology: 17c: from It. sonata "piece of instrumental music," lit. "sounded" (i.e.
"played on an instrument," as opposed to cantata "sung"), fem. pp. of sonare "to
sound," from L. sonare "to sound". Meaning narrowed by mid-18c. toward
application to large-scale works in three or four movements.
Example sentence: I saw three movements and told him the Sonata would sound
better if he made a very flashy last movement, but with content. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
soprano
noun
1. A singing voice of the highest pitch for a woman or a boy.
2. A person having this voice pitch.
3. A musical part for such a voice.
4. A musical instrument high or highest in pitch in relation to others in its family.
Also as adj.
Etymology: 18c: from It. soprano "the treble in music," lit. "high," from sopra
"above," from L. supra, fem. abl. sing. of super. Meaning "a singer having a
soprano voice" is from 1738. Soprano saxophone is attested from 1859.
Example sentence: The B b instrument encompasses the tenor, alto and soprano
ranges, with a rich sound at the bottom. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
staccato
adverb
1. In a short, abrupt manner.
adj
1. Short and abrupt.
noun
staccatos
1. A piece of music or a series of notes to be played in this way.
64
Etymology: 18c: from It. staccato, lit. "detached, disconnected," from pp. of
staccare "to detach," shortened form of distaccare "separate, detach," from M.Fr.
destacher, from O.Fr. destachier "to detach".
Example sentence: Street cries, high and low, overlapping each other in a sharp
staccato. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
tempo
noun
1. The speed at which a piece of music should be or is played.
2. Rate or speed.
Etymology: 18c: It. tempo, lit. "time" (pl. tempi), from L. tempus (gen. temporis)
"time." Extended to non-musical senses 1898
Example sentence: Its special force of percussive tone helps to define musical
entries and mark changes of tempo. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
timpani
noun
1.(context, pluralia tantum, musici) The set of precision kettledrums in an
orchestra.
Etymology: 19c: plural of timpano (1740), from It. timpani "drums," from L.
tympanum "drum". Example sentence: Some drummers have one or two pedal timpani, others have
all three of the mechanical variety. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
trombone
noun
1.A musical instrument in the brass family, having a cylindrical bore, and usually
a sliding tube (but sometimes piston valves, and rarely both).
Etymology: 18c: from It. trombone, augmentative form of tromba "trumpet," from
a Gmc. source (cf. O.H.G. trumba "trumpet;").
65
Example sentence: I imagine I was holding my trombone case, kicking at the
loose pebbles in the roadway. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
viola
noun
1. A musical instrument of the violin family, larger than the violin and lower in
pitch.
2. Someone who plays the viola.
Etymology: 18c: from It. viola, from O.Prov. viola, from M.L. vitula "stringed
instrument," perhaps from Vitula, Roman goddess of joy, or from related L. verb
vitulari "to exult, be joyful." Viola da gamba "bass viol" (1724) is from It., lit. "a
viola for the leg" (i.e. to hold between the legs).
Example sentence: Nor had he been idle in Salzburg: he had written two duos for
violin and viola to help out his fellow-composer Michael Haydn, who was in the
service of the archbishop. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
violin
noun
1. A four-stringed musical instrument with a shaped body, which is usually held
with one end under the chin and played with a bow.
2. Any of the violinists in an orchestra or group.
Example: first violin
Etymology: 16c: It. violino, dim. of viola
Example sentence: The subject matter of the book is indeed disparate and ranges
from endorphins to the secrets of the great violin makers. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
66
6.5. POLITICS
ballot
noun
1a. A method or system of voting, usually in secret, by putting a marked paper
into a box or other container.
1b. An act or occasion of voting by this system.
2. The total number of votes recorded in an election.
3. A ballot paper or small ball, etc used in voting.
Etymology: 16c: from Italian ballotta little ball. For small balls used as counters
in secret voting. Earliest references are to Venice.
Example sentence: There was no guarantee of victory in the second ballot, but
she could still win. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
bandit
noun
1. an armed robber, especially a member of a gang that attacks travellers or
isolated homes and villages.
Etymology: 16c: from Italian bandito outlaw, pp. of bandire "proscribe, banish,"
Example sentence: Let me know when you locate this bandit and I'll cut the
engines. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
camerlengo
noun
1.chamberlain; the cardinal who administers the Roman Catholic Church in the
interregnum between Popes
Etymology: 17c: from It. camerlingo "chamberlain".
Example sentence: This was indeed the pompous style in use at the Vatican Court
since the arrival of the new Camerlengo. (Acquired from http://www.americancorpus.org/, 14.02.2010)
67
doge
noun
1. The chief magistrate in the republics of Venice and Genoa.
Etymology: 16c: from Venetian dial. doge, from L. ducem, acc. of dux
"leader".
Example sentence: (I met the great sculptor once, you know, when I was hiding
from the Doge of Venice's assassins.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
duce
noun
1. a leader or dictator.
2. il Duce, the leader: applied esp. to Benito Mussolini as head of the fascist
Italian state.
Etymology: 20c: title assumed by Benito Mussolini 1883-1945), It., lit. "leader,"
from L. ducem.
Example sentence: They smashed pictures of the Duce, tore down posters and
obliterated the boastful slogans painted on the sides of houses. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
fascism
noun
1.A political regime based on strong centralized government, suppressing through
violence any criticism or opposition of the regime, and exalting nation, state, or
religion above the individual.
2.A system of strong autocracy.
Etymology: 20c: originally used in English 1920 in its Italian form. Applied to
similar groups in Germany from 1923 Example sentence: Does it conceal a kind of romantic fascism, where everyone
has a proper state and none should aspire to alter or change this state? (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
68
fascist
noun
1. An exponent or supporter of Fascism or (loosely) anyone with extreme right-
wing nationalistic, etc views.
2. A member of the ruling party in Italy from 1922-43, or a similar party
elsewhere, in particular the Nazi party in Germany.
adj
1. Belonging or relating to Fascism.
Etymology: 20c: from It. partito nazionale fascista, the anti-communist political
movement organized 1919 under Benito Mussolini (1883-1945); from It. fascio
"group, association," lit. "bundle." Like fascism, originally used in English in its
Italian form, as an Italian word. Fasci "groups of men organized for political
purposes" had been a feature of Sicily since c.1895; the 20c. sense probably
influenced by the Roman fasces (q.v.) which became the party symbol.
Example sentence: Fascist resources became increasingly concentrated here and
recruitment of anti-semitic elements and adolescents was actively encouraged. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
imbroglio
noun
1.a complicated situation; an entanglement
Etymology: 18c, from It. imbroglio, from imbrogliare "confuse, tangle," from in-
"in" + brogliare "embroil," probably from M.Fr. brouiller "confuse".
Example sentence: The discovery of Fawn turned the story from an impenetrable
imbroglio into a juicy tale, and set the appetite for whatever show, or film, could
be made of it. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
incognito
adj, adverb
1. Keeping one's identity a secret, eg by using a disguise and a false name.
noun
69
1. The disguise and false name of a person who wishes to keep their identity
secret.
2. Someone who is incognito.
Etymology: 17c: from It. incognito "unknown," especially in connection with
traveling, from L. incognitus "unknown," from in- "not" + cognitus, pp. of
cognoscere "to get to know". Fem. form incognita was maintained through 19c.
by those scrupulous about Latin.
Example sentence: She was inherently an observer, and in order to observe you
have to be incognito. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
Machiavellian
adjective
1.Attempting to achieve what one wants by cunning, scheming and unscrupulous
methods.
Etymology: 16c: from Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527), Florentine statesman
and author of "Del Principe," a work advising rulers to place advantage above
morality. A word of abuse in Eng. well before his works were translated ("The
Discourses" 1636, "The Prince" 1640), in part because his books were Indexed by
the Church, in part because of French attacks on him (e.g. Gentillet's, translated
into English 1602).
Example sentence: But Mr Major is not so Machiavellian. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
manifesto
noun
1.A public declaration of principles, policies, or intentions, especially that of a
political party
Etymology: 17c: from It. manifesto "public declaration explaining past actions
and announcing the motive for forthcoming ones," originally "proof," from L.
manifestus.
Example sentence: The Conservative Party manifesto for the 1987 General
Election returned to the issue.
70
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
risorgimento
noun
1. the period of or the movement for the liberation and unification of Italy 1750–
1870.
2. (lowercase ) any period or instance of rebirth or renewed activity; resurgence:
The company's risorgimento surprised Wall Street observers.
Etymology: 19c: from It., lit. "uprising" (of Italy against Austria, c.1850-60), from
risorgere, from L. resurgere.
Example sentence: On top of all one sees today the lineaments of the Austrian
fortress which marks the final phase of the history of Verona before the Italian
Risorgimento in the nineteenth century. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
6.6. SCIENCE AND MEDICINE
breccia
noun
1.Breccia is typically a rock composed of angular fragments in a matrix that may
be of a similar or a different material.
Etymology: 18c: from It., "marble of angular pieces," from a Gmc. source akin to
O.H.G. brecha "a breaking."
Example sentence: It is a manganiferous ironstone breccia in Dalradian
metasediments and has been interpreted as a gossan overlying stratiform
sulphides. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
gabbro
noun
71
1.(geology) A name originally given to a kind of serpentine, and now generally
used for a coarsely crystalline, igneous rock consisting of lamellar pyroxene and
labradorite.
Etymology: 19c: from It. (Tuscan), from L. glaber "bare, smooth, bald." Example sentence: In the middle layer is greenish gabbro, molten rock that never
made it to the surface of the crust. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
influenza
noun
1. pathol.
A highly infectious viral infection, with symptoms including headache, fever, a
sore throat, catarrh and muscular aches and pains. Commonly shortened to flu.
adj
Etymology: 18c: borrowed during an outbreak of the disease in Europe, from It.
influenza "influenza, epidemic," originally "visitation, influence (of the stars),"
from M.L. influentia. Used in It. for diseases since at least 1504 (cf. influenza di
febbre scarlattina "scarlet fever") on notion of astral or occult influence. The 1743
outbreak began in Italy. Often applied since mid-19c. to severe colds.
Example sentence: The latter had more somatic symptoms, viewed colds and
influenza more seriously, and consulted physicians more frequently for minor
complaints. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
lava
noun
1. geol.
magma that has erupted from a volcano or fissure and flowed on to the Earth's
surface or the ocean floor.
2. The solid rock that forms as a result of cooling and solidification of this
material.
Etymology: 18c: from It. (Neapolitan or Calabrian dialect) lava "torrent, stream,"
traditionally from L. lavare "to wash". Originally applied in It. to flash flood
72
rivulets after downpours, then to streams of molten rock from Vesuvius.
Alternative etymology is from L. labes "a fall," from labi "to fall."
Example sentence: This crater often gets filled with lakes of lava which remain
molten for amazingly long periods. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
lazaretto
noun
1.a medical facility specializing in the care for contagious patients.
2.a ship or building used for quarantine.
3.(nautical) An area on some merchant ships where provisions are stored.
Etymology: 16c: from It. lazareto "place set aside for performance of quarantine"
(especially that of Venice, which received many ships from plague-infested
districts in the East), from the Biblical proper name Lazarus. Meaning "building
set apart for quarantine" is c.1600 in English.
Example sentence: "He stinks of his friends at the lazaretto, " his companion
offers. (Acquired from http://www.americancorpus.org/, 14.02.2010)
malaria
noun
1. An infectious disease that produces anaemia and recurring bouts of fever,
caused by a parasitic protozoan which is transmitted to humans by the bite of the
mosquito.
Etymology: 18c: from It. mal'aria, from mala aria, lit. "bad air," from mala "bad"
(fem. of malo, from L. malus) + aria "air." Probably first used by It. physician
Francisco Torti (1658-1741). The mosquito-borne disease was once thought to
have been caused by foul air in marshy districts. Replaced native ague.
Example sentence: Much of the work centred on the complex biology of the
malaria parasite and on improvements in the methods of testing potential
antimalarial drugs. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
73
neutrino
noun
1.(particles) An elementary particle that is classified as a lepton, and has an
extremely small but nonzero mass and no electric charge. It interacts with the
surroundings only via the weak force or gravitation, making it very difficult to
detect.
Etymology: 20c: from It. neutrino, coined 1933 by It. physicist Enrico Fermi
(1901-54) from neutro "neuter" + -ino, dim. suffix. Example sentence: An array a square kilometre in size should see neutrino
sources if there are any, Halzen says. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
pellagra
noun
1.(pathology) A disease primarily caused by a niacin deficiency.
Etymology: 19c: Italian, a hybrid formed from L. pellis "skin" + Gk. agra "a
catching, seizure."
Example sentence: Another form of mental disorder, pellagra, was associated
clinically with diarrhoea and dermatitis. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
rocket
noun
1.a rocket engine
2.(military) non-guided missile
3.vehicle propelled by an engine which makes use of Newton's laws of motion,
Newton's Third Law of Motion by expelling burned fuel as exhaust at a high rate
4.a projectile firework
5.(slang) An ace (the playing card)
Etymology: in the sense "projectile," 17c: from It. rocchetto "a rocket," lit. "a
bobbin," dim. of rocca "a distaff," so called because of cylindrical shape. The It.
word probably is from a Gmc. source (cf. O.H.G. rocko "distaff," O.N. rokkr),
from P.Gmc. rukka-, from PIE base rug- "to spin." Originally "fireworks rocket,"
74
meaning "device propelled by a rocket engine" first recorded 1919; rocket-ship
first attested 1927. The verb meaning "to spring like a rocket" is from 1883.
Example sentence: 240 jobs to go at rocket research plant that pioneered Blue
Streak. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
sirocco
noun
1. a strong southerly to southeasterly wind in the Mediterranean that originates
from the Sahara and similar North African regions.
Etymology: 17c: from It. sirocco, from vulgar Arabic shoruq "the east wind,"
from Arabic sharqi "eastern, east wind," from sharq "east," from sharaqa "to rise"
(in reference to the sun). Example sentence: A week before, the sirocco had come with its tiny pouches of
sand, transplanting one grain at a time the whole Sahara; silting the windows with
a fine tan. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
torso
noun
1. the main part of the human body, without the limbs and head; the trunk.
2. a nude statue of this.
Etymology: 18c: from It. torso "trunk of a statue," originally "stalk, stump," from
V.L. tursus, from L. thyrsus "stalk, stem," from Gk. thyrsos.
Example sentence: Traditionally both the sexes have a human head and torso,
and the tail of a fish. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
tufa
noun
1. the calcareous deposit of lime found near hot springs
Etymology: 18c: from It. tufa, from L. tophus "loose, porous volcanic rock," an
Oscan-Umbrian loan-word.
75
Example sentence: Tufa was dug and used in large quantities by Gundulph in his
Cathedral at Rochester, and also in the building of West MaIling Abbey (1077–
1108). (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
volcano
noun
1. Any of various vents in the Earth's crust through which magma is or has
previously been forced out onto the surface, forming various structures but usually
taking the form of a conical hill due to the build up of solidified lava.
2. A situation or person likely to erupt into anger or violence.
Etymology: 17c: from It. vulcano "burning mountain," from L. Vulcanus
"Vulcan," Roman god of fire, also "fire, flames, volcano". The name was first
applied to Mt. Etna by the Romans, who believed it was the forge of Vulcan.
Example sentence: The hilltop we were aiming for looked like an angry volcano.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
6.7. OTHER WORDS
alfresco
adjective
1.In fresh air.
Etymology: 18c: from It., lit. "in the fresh (air)." The It. al represents a contraction
of words from L. ad "to" + ille "that." Alfresco also meant "painted on plaster that
was still fresh or moist" (1764).
Example sentence: As well as room service, midnight and late buffets, food is
also served alfresco on the lido deck at breakfast and lunch. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
American
adj
76
1. Belonging or relating to the United States of America, a federal republic in N
America, its inhabitants, or their languages.
2. Belonging or relating to the American continent, its inhabitants, or their
languages.
noun
1. A citizen or inhabitant of, or person born in, the United States of America, or
the American continent.
Etymology: 16c: named after the Italian navigator, Amerigo Vespucci (1454-
1512). America ‘Amerigo’s land’
Example sentence: The incident happened when the American star threatened to
pull out of a rain-drenched open-air concert in Taiwan. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
archipelago
noun
1.A group of islands.
2.Something scattered around like an archipelago.
Etymology: 16c: from It. arcipelago "the Aegean Sea" (13c.), from Gk.
arkhipelagos, from arkhi- "chief" + pelagos "sea." Aegean Sea being full of island
chains, the meaning was extended in It. to "any sea studded with islands."
Example sentence: The whole proceedings will be filmed here and transmitted
simultaneously all over the archipelago. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
arsenal
noun
1. A store for weapons, explosives, etc.
2. A factory or workshop where weapons are made, repaired or serviced.
3. The weapons, etc available to a country or group.
4. A supply of something that can be called upon when necessary and used to
one's advantage, usually destructively.
Etymology: 16c: "dockyard," from It. arzenale, from Arabic dar as-sina'ah
"workshop," lit. "house of manufacture," from dar "house" + sina'ah "art, craft,
77
skill," from sana'a "he made." Applied by the Venetians to a large wharf in their
city, which was the earliest meaning in Eng. Sense of "public place for making or
storing weapons and ammunition" is from 1570s. The London football club
(1886) was named for the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, where the original players
worked.
Example sentence: A GUN collector has been ordered by a court to give up the
arsenal of weapons he had gathered since he was 16.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
assassin
noun
1.One who is motivated by political reasons or money to intentionally kill a
particular person.
2.Any ruthless killer.
3.(italbrac, historically) A member of the historical Ismaili Muslim militant
group.
verb to assassin
1.(nonstandard) To assassinate.
Etymology: 16c: (in Anglo-L. from mid-13c.), via Fr. and It., from Arabic
hashishiyyin "hashish-users," pl. of hashishiyy, from hashish (q.v.). A fanatical
Ismaili Muslim sect of the time of the Crusades, under leadership of the "Old Man
of the Mountains" (translates Arabic shaik-al-jibal, name applied to Hasan ibu-al-
Sabbah), with a reputation for murdering opposing leaders after intoxicating
themselves by eating hashish. The pl. suffix -in was mistaken in Europe for part of
the word.
Example sentence: Leila stood up, quite prepared to defend herself, although she
knew a trained assassin when she saw one. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
balloon
noun
1.An inflatable buoyant object, often (but not necessarily) round and flexible.
2.Such an object as a child"s toy.
78
3.Such an object designed to transport people through the air.
4.(medicine) A sac inserted into part of the body for therapeutic reasons; such as
angioplasty.
5.A speech bubble.
Etymology: 16c: from It. pallone "large ball," from palla "ball," from
Langobardic palla + -one, suffix indicating great size. Perhaps borrowed in part
from Fr. ballon (16c.), altered (after balle) from It. pallone. It also meant the ball
itself (1590s), which was batted back and forth by means of large wooden paddles
strapped to the forearms.
Example sentence: So as time goes on they watch their balloon with increasing
anxiety. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
bambino
noun
1. a small child or baby.
2. an image of the infant Jesus.
Etymology: 18c: from It., "baby," a dim. of bambo "simple" (cf. L. bambalio
"dolt," Gk. bambainein "to stammer").
Example sentence: I bounced the bambino on my knee. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
bank
noun
1.An institution where one can place and borrow money and take care of financial
affairs.
2.A branch office of such an institution
3.A safe and guaranteed place of storage for and retrieval of important items or
goods.
1.A row or panel of items stored or grouped together.
1.An edge of river or other watercourse.
2.(nautical) An elevation, or rising ground, under the sea; a shallow area of
shifting sand, gravel, mud, and so forth (for example, a sandbank or mudbank).
79
3.An embankment.
4.(context, aviation) The incline of an aircraft, especially during a turn.
5.A row of keys on a musical keyboard or the equivalent on a typewriter
keyboard.
Etymology: late 15c: From banco, "bench", from the benches in public places
from which the first bankers in Renaissance Italy would operate.
Example sentence: Accordingly she went with her husband to the bank. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
bankrupt
verb
1.(transitive) To cause to become bankrupt; to make bankrupt.
adjective
1.That is formally declared unable to pay its creditors.
Etymology: 16c: from It. banca rotta, lit. "a broken bench," from banca
"moneylender's shop," lit. "bench" + rotta "broken, defeated, interrupted" from
(and remodeled on) L. rupta, fem. pp. of rumpere "to break". It refers to an out-
of-business bank, having its bench physically broken. Money lenders in Northern
Italy originally did business in open areas, or big open rooms, with each lender
working from his own bench or table. The verb is first recorded 1550s.
Example sentence: Jamaica was bankrupt. Imports had virtually dried up. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
bimbo
noun
1.(context, derogatory, slang) A physically attractive woman who lacks
intelligence.
Etymology: 20c: from It. variant of bambino "baby;" first attested in Italian-
accented theater dialogue. Originally especially "stupid, inconsequential man,
contemptible person;" by 1920 the sense of "floozie" had developed (popularized
by "Variety" staffer Jack Conway, d.1928). Resurrection during 1980s U.S.
political sex scandals led to derivatives including dim. bimbette (1990) and male
form himbo (1988).
80
Example sentence: Furious at being treated as if she were a brainless bimbo, she
raised her eyebrows, giving him back such a measured look that he actually
coloured a little and moved away. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
biretta
noun
1.A square cap, originally with four ridges across the top, (or three,) surmounted
by a tuft, worn by Roman Catholic clergy (and by some in the Anglican Church.)
Etymology: 16c: from It. beretta, from L.L. birrus, birrum "large cloak with
hood;" perhaps of Gaulish origin, or from Gk. pyrros "flame-colored, yellow".
Example sentence: Monsieur le Curé sat in his bath, a huge holy-water stoup,
still holding his biretta, while the housekeeper washed his bristly black hair.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
boccie
noun
1. an Italian variety of lawn bowling played on a dirt court that is shorter and
narrower than the rink of a bowling green.
Etymology: 20c: from It. bocce "(wooden) balls," pl. of boccia, which is related to
Fr. bosse "bump, hump," perhaps from a Gmc. source.
Example sentence: They were playing the ancient game of boccia . (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
bordello
noun.
1. a brothel.
Etymology: 16c: from It. variant of M.E. bordel "house of prostitution" (c.1300),
from O.Fr. bordel "brothel," dim. of borde "hut made of planks," from Frankish
bord "board." Sense of "brothel" in English first recorded 1850.
Example sentence: "Pornographic pictures taken in a high-class bordello. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
81
bravo
exclamation
1. Shouted to express one's appreciation at the end of a performance, etc: well
done! excellent!
In the NATO alphabet: the word used to represent the letter ‘B'.
Etymology: 18c: Italian, as a cheer, "well done!," 1761, from It., lit. "brave".
Earlier it was used as a noun meaning "desperado, hired killer". Superlative form
is bravissimo.
Example sentence: The disguise is off. Bravo! Pure theatre." (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
buffoon
noun
usually rather derog:
1. A person who sets out to amuse people with jokes and foolish or comic
behaviour, etc; a clown.
2. Someone who does stupid or foolish things; a fool.
Etymology: 16c: from Italian buffone "jester," from buffare "to puff out the
cheeks," a comic gesture, of echoic origin.
Example sentence: Some of them said that Carolan was a kind of licensed
political buffoon, not to be taken seriously, and that in some ways his wild
oratory was a useful escape valve in a complex society (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
capo
noun
1.A movable bar placed across the fingerboard of a guitar used to raise the pitch
of all strings.
2.A leader in the Mafia.
Etymology: 20c: short for capo tasto (1876), from It., lit. "head stop."
The second meaning: 20c: from It., lit. "head."
Example sentence: Such women can--though not all do--adopt stylized capo
roles or macho postures but use them for their own ends as women.
82
(Acquired from http://www.americancorpus.org/, 14.02.2010)
carnival
noun
1. a traveling amusement show, having sideshows, rides, etc.
2. any merrymaking, revelry, or festival, as a program of sports or entertainment:
a winter carnival.
3. the season immediately preceding Lent, often observed with merrymaking;
Shrovetide.
Etymology: 16c: from It. carnevale "Shrove Tuesday," from older It. forms like
Milanese carnelevale, O.Pisan carnelevare "to remove meat," lit. "raising flesh,"
from L. caro "flesh" + levare "lighten, raise;" folk etymology is from M.L. carne
vale " 'flesh, farewell.' " Meaning "a circus or fair" is 1931, N.Amer., as is the
short form carny for "one who works at a carnival."
Example sentence: If there is a local carnival every year, go along and enjoy the
costumes and the general atmosphere. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
cascade
noun
1. A waterfall or series of small waterfalls
2. (figuratively) A stream or sequence of a thing or things occurring as if falling
like a cascade.
3. A series of electrical components, the output of any one being connected to the
input of the next;
Etymology: 17c: from Fr., from It. cascata "waterfall," from cascare "to fall,"
from V.L. casicare, from L. casum, pp. of cadere "to fall". The verb is attested
from 1702.
Example sentence: When she reached the bathroom, she took the advice usually
offered on occasions such as this, turned on the cold shower and stepped under the
cascade of water. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
83
casino
noun
1. A public building or room for gambling.
Etymology: 18c: Italian diminutive of casa house, from L. casa "hut, shed," of
uncertain origin.
Example sentence: Those with money burning a hole in their pocket might also
care to visit the casino. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
cavalier
noun
1.A military man serving on horse.
2.A gay, sprightly, military man; hence, a gallant.
3.One of the court party in the time of King Charles I, as contrasted with a
Roundhead or an adherent of Parliament.
4.A work of more than ordinary height, rising from the level ground of a bastion,
etc., and overlooking surrounding parts.
5.A well mannered man; a gentleman.
Etymology: 16c: from It. cavalliere "mounted soldier, knight," from L.L.
caballarius "horseman," from L. caballus "horse, a pack horse." Sense advanced
in 17c. to "knight," then "courtly gentleman," which led to adj. "disdainful"
(1657). Meaning "Royalist adherent of Charles I" is from 1641.
Example sentence: Oliver Cromwell came to Stamford in 1643, following the
retreat of the Cavalier army who had tried to capture Peterborough.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
ciao
interjection
1. (used as a word of greeting or parting): hello; goodbye; so long; see you later.
Etymology: 20c: dial. variant of It. schiavo "(your obedient) servant," lit. "slave,"
from M.L. sclavus "slave."
Example sentence: She rose from the table. "I see you later. Ciao."
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
84
cicerone
noun
1. a person who conducts sightseers; guide.
Etymology: 18c: from It., from L. Ciceronem, from the name of the great Roman
orator. Perhaps in ref. to the loquacity of the guides.
Example sentence: " You are my cicerone, " (Acquired from http://www.americancorpus.org/, 14.02.2010)
consigliere
noun
1.A counselor or advisor, especially to mafia boss.
Etymology: 20c: Italian consiglio, "advice", "counsel", from Latin consilium.
Entered the popular English lexicon through Mario Puzo's "Godfather" novels and
the subsequent films made from them.
Example sentence: That's part of the job of being the consigliere, or being the
best friend in real life. (Acquired from http://www.americancorpus.org/, 14.02.2010)
ditto
noun
1. The same thing; the above; that which has just been said.
adverb
1. Likewise; the same.
Etymology: 17c: Tuscan dial. ditto "(in) the said (month or year)," from It. detto,
pp. of dire "to say," from L. dicere. Originally used in It. to avoid repetition of
month names in a series of dates; generalized meaning of "same as above" first
recorded in Eng. 1678.
Example sentence: Ditto for the milk you are going to use throughout the day in
all those cups of tea and coffee.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
85
gazette
noun
1. An official newspaper giving lists of government, military and legal notices.
2. often facetious
Etymology: 17c: from Venetian dialect gazeta, from gazet a small coin or the cost
of an early news-sheet, lit. "little magpie," from gazza; applied to the monthly
newspaper published in Venice by the government mid-1500s, either from its
price or its association with the bird (typical of false chatter), or both. First used in
Eng. 1665 for the paper issued at Oxford, whither the court had fled from the
plague.
Example sentence: Mr Patten's spokesman, Mike Hanson, said the legislation,
based on electoral reforms which have provoked furious opposition from Beijing,
would not appear in today's official gazette. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
ghetto
noun
1. derog
A poor area densely populated by people from a deprived social group, especially
a racial minority.
2. historical
A part of a European city to which Jews were formerly restricted.
Etymology: 17c: from It. ghetto "part of a city to which Jews are restricted,"
various theories of its origin include: Yiddish get "deed of separation;" special use
of Venetian getto "foundry" (there was one near the site of that city's ghetto in
1516); Egitto "Egypt," from L. Aegyptus (presumably in memory of the exile); or
It. borghetto "small section of a town". Extended 1892 to crowded urban quarters
of other minority groups.
Example sentence: The building of exemplary roads under present conditions is a
monument to the ghetto's vitality. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
giraffe
86
noun
1.A ruminant, of the genus Giraffa, of the African savannah with long legs and
highly elongated neck, which make it the tallest living animal; yellow fur
patterned with dark spots, often in the form of a network; and two or more short,
skin-covered horns.
Etymology: 16c: from It. giraffa, from Ar. zarafa, probably from an African
language. Earlier M.E. spellings varied wildly, depending on the source, including
jarraf, ziraph, and gerfauntz, the last apparently reflecting some confusion with
olifaunt "elephant." Replaced earlier camelopard, a compound of camel (for the
long neck) and pard "leopard" (for the spots).
Example sentence: She imagined a steel splint inside her giraffe neck, and felt
the pain as it appeared inside her unfamiliar flesh. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
gondola
noun
1. A long narrow flat-bottomed boat with pointed upturned ends, used to transport
passengers on the canals of Venice.
2. The passenger cabin suspended from an airship, balloon or cable-railway.
3. A free-standing shelved unit for displaying goods in a supermarket.
Etymology: 16c: from It. (Venetian) gondola, earlier goundel, from O.It. gondula,
perhaps from Rhaeto-Romanic dial. gondola "roll, rock." Meaning "cabin of an
airship" is 1896, though it was used hypothetically in 1881 in a prediction piece
titled "300 Years Hence":
Example sentence: His eyes flickered down to the gondola. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
gonzo
adjective
1.(journalism) Using an unconventional, exaggerated and highly subjective style,
often when the reporter is part of the story.
87
Etymology: 20c: Amer.Eng., in Hunter S. Thompson's phrase gonzo journalism,
from It. gonzo "simpleton, blockhead." Thompson in 1972 said he got it from
editor Bill Cardosa, and explained it as "some Boston word for weird, bizarre."
Example sentence: Exaggeration, alteration, inebriation and perhaps some
fabrication served Thompson well, until, that is, until last Sunday, when the
pioneer of gonzo journalism committed suicide at home in Colorado. (Acquired from http://www.americancorpus.org/, 14.02.2010)
grotto
noun
1. A cave, especially a small and picturesque one.
2. A man-made cave-like structure, especially in a garden or park.
Etymology: 17c: from It. grotta, ult. from L. crypta "vault, cavern," from Gk.
krypte "hidden place". Terminal -o may be from its being spelled that way in
many translations of Dante's "Divine Comedy."
Example sentence: Harry was saying there had been a bar here in the boathouse
and a grotto below. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
inamorata
noun
1.a female lover or love interest
Etymology: 17c: from It. innamorata, fem. of innamorato, pp. of innamorare "to
fall in love," from in "in" + amore "love."
Example sentence: His new inamorata is a 22-year-old mannequin named
Jennifer. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
inferno
noun
1. Hell.
Form: the Inferno (often)
88
2. A place or situation of horror and confusion.
3. A raging fire.
Etymology: 19c: Italian, from Latin infernus "hell". For the name of the place, or
things which resemble it, the It. form Inferno has been used in Eng. since 1834,
from Dante.
Example sentence: She paused for a moment under a feeble electric light to
recover her self-possession, drawing the clean cold air into her lungs, before
plunging once more into the third circle of this industrial inferno. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
lido
noun
1. A fashionable beach.
2. A public open-air swimming pool.
Etymology: 20c: named after Lido, an island in the Venice lagoon which has a
fashionable beach, from Latin litus "a shore".
Example sentence: Shortly after leaving the Luzern steamer-quays, the lakeside
lido can be seen on the northern shore, and just behind it the city's camp site. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
lottery
noun
1.A scheme for the distribution of prizes by lot or chance, especially a gaming
scheme in which one or more tickets bearing particular numbers draw prizes, and
the rest of tickets are blanks.
2.(figuratively) An affair of chance.
3.(obsolete; Shakespeare) Allotment; a thing allotted.
Etymology: 16c: from It. lotteria, from same root as O.E. hlot "object" (anything
from dice to straw, but often a chip of wood with a name inscribed on it) used to
determine someone's share,) also "what falls to a person by lot,"
Example sentence: Mr Brooke hopes the lottery will appeal to ordinary people
not heavy gamblers. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
89
lotto
noun
1.a game of chance similar to bingo
2.a lottery
Etymology: 18c: from It. lotto "a lot," from O.Fr. lot "lot," from Frank. (cf. O.E.,
O.Fris. hlot). Meaning "a lottery" is attested from 1787. Example sentence: She said: "I had just been saying that I was giving up the
lotto, but my husband, Martin, encouraged me to keep trying." (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
maestro
noun
1. someone who is regarded as being specially gifted in a specified art, especially
a distinguished musical composer, conductor, performer or teacher. Often used as
a title (Maestro).
Etymology: 18c: from It. maestro, lit. "master," from L. magisterium, acc. of
magister. Applied in It. to eminent musical composers. Meaning "conductor,
musical director" is short for maestro di cappella (1724), lit. "master of the
chapel" (cf. Ger. kapellmeister).
Example sentence: Jeff bears a remarkable resemblance to maestro Pavarotti
(inset). (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
Mafia
noun
1. A secret international criminal organization, originating in Sicily, that controls
numerous illegal activities worldwide, especially in Italy and the US.
Form: the Mafia
2. Any group that exerts a secret and powerful influence, especially one that uses
unscrupulous or ruthless criminal methods.
Form: mafia (often)
90
Etymology: 19c: from It. Mafia "Sicilian secret society of criminals" (the
prevailing sense outside Sicily), earlier, "spirit of hostility to the law and its
ministers," from It. (Sicilian) mafia "boldness, bravado," probably from Arabic
mahjas "aggressive, boasting, bragging." Or perhaps from O.Fr. mafler "to
gluttonize, devour."
Example sentence: Now she will be a target for the Mafia 's bullets because she
knows all of Falcone's secrets. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
manage
verb
1.to direct or be in charge of (e.g., an organization).
2.to handle or control, to force.
3.to succeed at an attempt: he managed to climb the tower.
4.to achieve without fuss, or without outside help.
Etymology: 16 c: probably from It. maneggiare "to handle," esp. "to control a
horse," from L. manus "hand". Influenced by Fr. manège "horsemanship" (earliest
Eng. sense was of handling horses), which also was from the Italian. Extended to
other objects or business from 1579. Slang sense of "get by" first recorded 1655
Example sentence: The task of the authorities is to manage all water services
within a geographical area determined by river catchments (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
marina
noun
1.a harbour for small boats.
Etymology: 19c: from Sp. or It. marina "shore, coast," from L. marinus. Meaning
"dock or basin with moorings for yachts and small craft" is 1935, Amer.Eng.
Example sentence: They were in use until the middle of the nineteenth century,
and are now part of a marina complex. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
omerta
91
noun
1. A rule or code that prohibits speaking or divulging information about certain
activities, especially the activities of a criminal organization.
Etymology: 20c: from dial. form of It. umilta "humility," from L. humilitas
"lowness, insignificance,".
Example sentence: But the omerta that prevails at Apple proved too strong. (Acquired from http://www.americancorpus.org/, 14.02.2010)
pantaloons
plural noun
1. Baggy trousers gathered at the ankle.
2. Various kinds of trousers, such as tight-fitting trousers for men with buttons or
ribbons below the calf, worn at the turn of the 19c.
Etymology: 16c: associated with Pantaloun (1590), silly old man character in It.
comedy who wore tight trousers over his skinny legs, from It. Pantalone,
originally San Pantaleone, Christian martyr, a popular saint in Venice (Pantaleone
in the comedies represents the Venetian). The name is of Gk. origin and means
"all-compassionate." Applied to tight long trousers (replacing knee-breeches) by
1798; pants is a shortened form first recorded 1840.
Example sentence: He was wearing old plaid trousers, over-large and loose as
pantaloons, and tied at the ankles with string. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
pants
noun (plural)
1.(pluralia tantum) A garment worn by men and women that covers the body
from the waist downwards, usually as far as the ankles; trousers.
2.(context, UK, colloquial, not all areas, pluralia tantum) A garment worn by
men or women that covers the genitals and often the buttocks and the
neighbouring parts of the body; panties, shorts.
Etymology: 19c, see pantaloons. Colloquial sing. pant is attested from 1893.
Example sentence: He fumbled in the pocket of his pants, withdrew the saturated
letter and stared at it in dismay.
92
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
paparazzo
noun
A freelance photographer who sells photographs of celebrities to the media,
especially one who pursues celebrities and attempts to obtain candid photographs.
Etymology: 20c: from It. Paparazzo (pl. paparazzi) surname of the freelance
photographer in Federico Fellini's 1959 film "La Dolce Vita." The name itself is
of no special significance; it is said to be a common one in Calabria, and Fellini is
said to have borrowed it from a travel book, "By the Ionian Sea," in which occurs
the name of hotel owner Coriolano Paparazzo.
Example sentence: Convicted murderers, especially brutal and disgusting ones,
were followed around by as many paparazzi as the royal family. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
portfolio
noun
1. A flat case for carrying papers, drawings, photographs, etc.
2. The contents of such a case, as a demonstration of a person's work.
Etymology: 18c: It. portafoglio "a case for carrying loose papers," from porta,
imperative of portare "to carry" + foglio "sheet, leaf," from L. folium. Meaning
"collection of securities held" is from 1930.
Example sentence: It didn't matter how well you had diversified your portfolio.
(Acquired from http://www.americancorpus.org/, 14.02.2010)
Punch
noun
1. the chief male character in a Punch-and-Judy show.
Etymology: 18c: shortening of Punchinello (1666), from It. (Neapolitan)
Pollecinella, dim. of pollecena "turkey pullet," probably in allusion to his big
nose.
Example sentence: I took Jake down to Covent Garden on a Saturday morning
and they did a real -- there was a real Punch and Judy show.
93
(Acquired from http://www.americancorpus.org/, 14.02.2010)
regatta
noun
1. A yacht or boat race-meeting.
Etymology: 17c: from It. (Venetian dialect) regatta, lit. "contention for mastery,"
from regattare "to compete, haggle, sell at retail," possibly from recatare. The
general meaning of "boat race, yacht race" is usually considered to have begun
with a race on the Thames by that name June 23, 1775 (cf. OED), but there is
evidence that it was used as early as 1768.
Example sentence: In the golden age of steam, the Henley Branch was one of the
busiest lines in the country, linking the Regatta town with the capital.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
Riviera
noun
1. a resort area along the Mediterranean coast, extending from Saint Tropez, in SE
France, to La Spezia, in NW Italy. Côte d'Azur.
2. (often lowercase ) any similar coastal resort area: the Florida riviera.
Etymology: 17c: from It., lit. "bank, shore". In extended use, the coast from
Marseilles to La Spezia, which became popular in the 19th century as a winter
resort. Example sentence: Glad to leave the bright sunlight of the Riviera and the noise
of the traffic she turned from the main street into Santa Maria in Portico.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
Scaramouch
noun
1. a stock character in commedia dell'arte and farce who is a cowardly braggart,
easily beaten and frightened.
2. (lowercase ) a rascal or scamp
Etymology: 17c: name of a cowardly braggart (supposed by some to represent a
Spanish don) in traditional Italian comedy, from It. Scaramuccia, lit. "skirmish,"
94
from schermire "to fence," from a Gmc. source (cf. O.H.G. skirmen "defend"). A
vogue word in late 17c. London due to the popularity of Tiberio Fiurelli in the
part (his company of It. players arrived in London 1673).
Example sentence: Punch squeaks, as he knocks Scaramouch's head from his
shoulders. (Acquired from http://www.americancorpus.org/, 14.02.2010)
sedan
noun
1.an enclosed windowed chair suitable for a single occupant, carried by at least
two porters, in equal numbers in front and behind, using wooden rails that passed
through metal brackets on the sides of the chair
2.(context, US, Australia) The most common body style for modern cars, with a
boot or trunk.
Etymology: 17c: possibly from a southern Italian dialect derivative of It. sede
"chair" (cf. It. seggietta, 1598; the thing itself was said to have been introduced
from Naples), from L. sedes, related to sedere "sit". Since Johnson's conjecture,
often derived from the town of Sedan in France, where it was said to have been
made or first used, but historical evidence for this is lacking. Introduced in
England by Sir Sanders Duncombe in 1634 and first called a covered chair.
Meaning "closed automobile seating four or more" first recorded 1912, Amer.Eng.
Example sentence: She had a little white sedan with plenty of what it takes under
the hood. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
squadron
noun
1.(obsolete): Primarily, a square; hence, a square body of troops; a body of troops
drawn up in a square.
1.(Army): A body of cavalry comprising two companies or troops, and averaging
from one hundred and twenty to two hundred men.
2.(Navy): A detachment of vessels employed on any particular service or station,
under the command of the senior officer; as, the North Atlantic Squadron.
95
3.(Air Force): A tactical air force unit; consists of at least two flights; multiple
squadrons make up a group
Etymology: 16c: from It. squadrone, augmentative of squadra "battalion".
Example sentence: Hewitt commanded a tank squadron during the Gulf War. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
stiletto
noun
1. A high thin heel on a woman's shoe.
Form: stiletto heel (in full)
2. colloq
A shoe with such a heel.
3. A dagger with a narrow tapering blade.
4. A small pointed device that is used for making holes in cloth, leather, etc.
Etymology: 17c: from It. stiletto, dim. of stilo "dagger," from L. stilus "pointed
writing instrument". Stiletto heel first attested 1953.
Example sentence: She stopped and planted her stiletto heels in a puddle of mud. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
tarantula
noun
1. A large European wolf spider.
2. Any of a family of large tropical spiders with a fist-sized body and long hairy
legs, which live in short burrows in the ground, and run down their prey instead of
trapping it in webs.
Etymology: 16c: from Italian tarantola, from Taranto in South Italy, seaport city
in the region where the spiders are frequently found, from L. Tarentum, from Gk.
Taras (gen. Tarantos; perhaps from Illyrian darandos "oak"). Its bite is only
slightly poisonous. Popularly applied to other great hairy spiders, especially the
genus Mygale, native to the warmer regions of the Americas (first so called in
1794).
Example sentence: I bolt across the sheets legs first like a tarantula on the run. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
96
tariff
noun
1.a system of government-imposed duties levied on imported or exported goods; a
list of such duties, or the duties themselves
2.a schedule of rates, fees or prices
3.(british) a sentence determined according to a scale of standard penalties for
certain categories of crime
Etymology: 16c: from It. tariffa, M.L. tarifa "list of prices, book of rates," from
Arabic ta'rif "information, notification, inventory of fees to be paid," verbal noun
from arafa "to make known." Meaning "official list of customs duties on imports
or exports" is from 1592; sense of "classified list of charges made in a business" is
recorded from 1757.
Example sentence: The easy to follow tariff chart at the back of this leaflet will
help ensure that your international mail carries the correct postage. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
tombola
noun
1.a lottery in which winning tickets are drawn from a revolving drum
Etymology: 19c: from It. tombolare "to tumble, fall upside down." Many entertainments are planned for the night including a charity auction, games
and a tombola. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
traffic
noun (uncountable)
1.pedestrians or vehicles on roads, or the flux or passage thereof.
1.commercial transportation or exchange of goods, or the movement of passengers
or people.
1.illegal trade or exchange of goods, often drugs.
2.exchange or flux of information, messages or data, as in a computer or
telephone network.
97
Etymology: 16c: from M.Fr. trafique (1441), from It. traffico (1323), from
trafficare "carry on trade," of uncertain origin, perhaps from a V.L. transfricare
"to rub across", with the original sense of the It. verb being "touch repeatedly,
handle." Or the second element may be an unexplained alteration of L. facere "to
make, do." Meaning "people and vehicles coming and going" first recorded 1825.
Example sentence: He reckons the traffic is a nightmare. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
trampoline
noun
1.A gymnastic and recreational device consisting of a piece of taut, strong fabric
stretched over a steel frame using many coiled springs as anchors.
Etymology: 18c: from Sp. trampolin "springboard," and It. trampolino, from
trampoli "stilts," from a Gmc. source (cf. Low Ger. trampeln "trample") related to
tramp.
Example sentence: He fell backwards, already rolling as he struck the
trampoline between the hulls. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
umbrella
noun
1. A device carried to give shelter from rain, etc, consisting of a rounded fabric
canopy supported on a lightweight, usually metal, collapsible framework of ribs
fitted around a central stick or handle. This allows it to be folded down to form a
slim cylinder when not in use.
2. Anything that resembles an open umbrella in form or function.
Etymology: 17c: first attested in Donne's letters, from It. ombrello, from L.L.
umbrella, altered (by influence of umbra) from L. umbella "sunshade, parasol,"
dim. of umbra "shade, shadow". A sunshade in the Mediterranean, a shelter from
the rain in England; in late 17c. usage, usually as an Oriental or African symbol of
dignity. Said to have been used by women in England from c.1700; the first rain-
umbrella carried by a man there was traditionally c.1760, by Jonas Hathaway,
98
noted traveler and philanthropist. Fig. sense of "authority, unifying quality"
(usually in a phrase such as under the umbrella of) is recorded from 1948.
Example sentence: And 25 runners-up will each get a giant MGM umbrella.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
vendetta
noun
1. A bitter feud in which the family of a murdered person takes revenge by killing
the murderer or one of their relatives.
2. Any long-standing bitter feud or quarrel.
Etymology: 19c: It. vendetta "a feud, blood feud," from L. vindicta "revenge".
Especially associated with Corsica.
Example sentence: I'm getting rather tired of this vendetta of yours --;" (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
vista
noun
1.A distant view or prospect, especially one seen through some opening.
2.A site offering such a view.
Etymology: 17c: from It. vista "sight, view," noun use of fem. past participle of
vedere "see," from L. videre "to see".
Example sentence: She was dazzled by the vista of liberty conjured up before
her.
(Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
viva
interjection
1. Italian, Spanish. (an exclamation of acclaim or approval): Viva Zapata!
noun
2. a shout of “viva.”
Etymology: 17c: from It. viva "(long) live, may he (or she) live," third person
singular present subjunctive of vivere "to live," from L. vivere "to live." Probably
99
reborrowed (1836) from Sp. viva, from vivir "to live," from L. vivere. Sometimes
also in L. form vivat (1663). Example sentence: "Viva Espana" (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
zany
adj
1. Amusingly crazy.
Etymology: 16c, meaning "a clown, stooge" from Zanni, a North Italian dialect
form of Gianni or Giovanni John, name of a servant who plays the clown in
commedia dell’arte.
Example sentence: Ben has adapted his zany thriller about ecological disaster
and will play the lead. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
zero
noun (zeroes)
1.The numeric symbol that represents the cardinal number zero.
Etymology: 17c: from It. zero, from M.L. zephirum, from Arabic sifr "cipher,"
translation of Skt. sunya-m "empty place, desert, naught".
Example sentence: In general, we set all non-basic variables to zero and solve for
the remainder. (Acquired from http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/, 14.02.2010)
zucchetto
noun
1.small skullcap worn by Roman Catholic clergy
Etymology: 19c: from It. zucchetta "a cap," originally dim. of zucca "gourd,
head," perhaps from L.L. cucutia, of unknown origin.
Example sentence: Monsignor was soon wrapped in a cloud of smoke from
which only his round occipital with its zucchetto of velvet moir protruded.
(Acquired from http://www.americancorpus.org/, 14.02.2010)
100
7. CONCLUSION
I have gathered 228 Italian words in the English language. The most of them, that
is 63 words (27,6%) are from the category other words where one can find
words from different fields such as military, journalism and so on. The category
with most words from one field is food and culinary terms with 48 words
(21%). The second largest category is music with 45 words (19,7%). Next group
is art and architecture with 40 words (17,5%), then science and medicine with
13 words (5,7%) politics with 12 words (5,3%) and finally language and
literature with 7 words (3%).
If we take a look at different categories and when the most and when the least
Italian words (percentually) came into the English language it looks like this:
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
14c. 16c. 18c. 20c.
other words
0
10
20
30
40
50
14c. 16c. 18c. 20c.
food and culinaryterms
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
14c. 15c. 16c. 17c. 18c. 19c. 20c.
music
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
14c. 16c. 18c. 20c.
art andarchitecture
0
10
20
30
40
50
14c. 16c. 18c. 20c.
science andmedicine
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
14c. 15c. 16c. 17c. 18c. 19c. 20c.
politics
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
14c. 16c. 18c. 20c.
language andliterature
101
If we take a look at these graphical presentations we see that in the category
music and science and medicine the most words came into the English in the 18th
century which can be considered a consequence of the Renaissance and the
prestige it brought for the Italian culture and language. Although the Renaissance
started in the 14th century in Italy it later spread across Europe and lasted
approximately to the 17th century.
In the category of art and architecture and language and literature the most
words came in the English language in the 17th century. This is also I think
because the Italian culture became very prestigious during the Renaissance. The
same was also with politics and other words that contributed most words during
the 16th century.
As I have predicted food and culinary terms from the Italian language started
entering the English language in the 20th century. 50% of all the words that I have
found, came into English in that period and that was especially true of American
English.
From this I can conclude that there were two periods in the history of the English
language that were the most important for the importation of the Italian words: the
Renaissance and the period of immigration from Italy into the USA. The first
period shows how a prestige of a language and culture can be a deciding factor in
the importation of foreign words in a language and the second how a language can
influence another language simply by the fact that the speakers of both languages
coexist in the same country and share everyday activities.
102
REFERENCES
Baugh, A., C., Cable T. (1993). A History of the English Language. London.
Routledge.
Culpeper, J. (1997). History of English. New York. Routledge.
Hogg, R., Denison, D. (2008). New York. Cambridge. University Press.
Klinar, S., Davis, M. (2001). English Word-formation with Exercise. Part One.
Ljubljana. Filozofska fakulteta, Oddelek za germanske jezike in književnosti.
Minkova, D. (2009). English words: history and structure. Cambridge. Cambridge
University Press.
Singh, I. (2005). The History of English. London. Hodder Arnold.
Partridge, E. (1991). Origins: an etymological dictionary of modern English.
London. Routledge.
The Penguin English Dictionary (2. izdaja) (2005). Ljubljana. Mladinska knjiga
Založba d.d.
WEBPAGES
ONLINE ETYMOLOGY DICTIONARY
http://www.etymonline.com/
ENGLISH DICTIONARY – WITH MULTI-LINGUAL SEARCH
http://www.allwords.com/
BRITISH NATIONA CORPUS
http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/
103
CORPUS OF CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN ENGLISH
http://www.americancorpus.org/
WIKIPEDIA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page