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

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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

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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:

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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.

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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’.

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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.

http://www.allwords.com/


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

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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.

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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.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_language

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_language

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_language

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanian_language

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalan_language

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_antiquity

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Constantinople

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelangelo

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

http://www.etymonline.com/


http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/

http://www.americancorpus.org/

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)

http://www.allwords.com/?SearchType=3&Keyword=amusement%20arcade

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=arcade


http://www.allwords.com/?SearchType=3&Keyword=entablature


15

Example sentence: The process in engineering evolved naturally with an

increased need for the services of the craftsman or artisan.


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".




http://www.allwords.com/?SearchType=3&Keyword=summerhouse

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.


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.


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 .


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.


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


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.


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?


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



http://www.allwords.com/query.php?SearchType=3&Keyword=miniature&goquery=Find+it%21&Language=ENG&v_PageSize=10

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.


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.


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.


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



http://www.allwords.com/word-seraglio.html

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.


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.


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.


http://www.allwords.com/query.php?SearchType=3&Keyword=villa&goquery=Find+it%21&Language=ENG&v_PageSize=10


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.


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.


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.




http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=almond

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.


http://www.allwords.com/word-antipasto.html



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.


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


http://www.allwords.com/word-barista.html

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=bar



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.

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=bologna



http://www.allwords.com/query.php?SearchType=3&Keyword=calamari


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.


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

http://www.allwords.com/?SearchType=3&Keyword=Capuchin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_habit




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.


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."




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".



http://www.allwords.com/query.php?SearchType=3&Keyword=gelato&goquery=Find+it%21&Language=ENG&v_PageSize=10

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.


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


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.


http://www.allwords.com/query.php?SearchType=3&Keyword=latte&goquery=Find+it%21&Language=ENG&v_PageSize=10



http://www.allwords.com/?SearchType=3&Keyword=dandy

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)


http://www.allwords.com/query.php?SearchType=3&Keyword=macchiato&goquery=Find+it%21&Language=ENG&v_PageSize=10




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

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=pestle




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.


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.





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.


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.


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.





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.


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;

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=courgette&db=luna



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.




http://www.allwords.com/?SearchType=3&Keyword=contralto

http://www.allwords.com/?SearchType=3&Keyword=counter-tenor

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=contralto


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…


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.


canzone

noun


http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=cadence



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.


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.


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.



http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=fantasy&db=luna

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.




http://www.allwords.com/?SearchType=3&Keyword=part%20song

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.


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



http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=opera


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


http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=pianoforte


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.


sonata

noun


http://www.allwords.com/?SearchType=3&Keyword=whist


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)

http://www.allwords.com/?SearchType=3&Keyword=ballot%20paper




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.


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

http://www.allwords.com/?SearchType=3&Keyword=Nazi

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=fasces



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


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


http://www.allwords.com/?SearchType=3&Keyword=flu


http://www.allwords.com/?SearchType=3&Keyword=magma

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)


http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Lazarus


http://www.allwords.com/?SearchType=3&Keyword=protozoan


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.


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


http://www.allwords.com/?SearchType=3&Keyword=magma



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.


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.


http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=hashish


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).

http://www.allwords.com/word-balloon.html



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).


http://www.allwords.com/query.php?SearchType=3&Keyword=bankrupt&goquery=Find+it%21&Language=ENG&v_PageSize=10

http://www.allwords.com/query.php?SearchType=3&Keyword=bankrupt&goquery=Find+it%21&Language=ENG&v_PageSize=10


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.


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


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.


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."



http://www.allwords.com/query.php?SearchType=0&Keyword=cavalier&goquery=Find+it%21&Language=ENG&v_PageSize=10

http://www.allwords.com/query.php?SearchType=0&Keyword=cavalier&goquery=Find+it%21&Language=ENG&v_PageSize=10



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.


http://dictionary.reference.com/help/luna/IPA_pron_key.html


http://www.allwords.com/query.php?SearchType=3&Keyword=consigliere&goquery=Find+it%21&Language=ENG&v_PageSize=10



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.

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=camel

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=pard



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)



http://www.allwords.com/query.php?SearchType=3&Keyword=lottery&goquery=Find+it%21&Language=ENG&v_PageSize=10


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)


http://www.allwords.com/?SearchType=3&Keyword=Maestro


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



http://www.allwords.com/query.php?SearchType=3&Keyword=marina&goquery=Find+it%21&Language=ENG&v_PageSize=10


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.



http://www.allwords.com/query.php?SearchType=3&Keyword=pants&goquery=Find+it%21&Language=ENG&v_PageSize=10

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=pantaloons

92


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.


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.


http://www.allwords.com/query.php?SearchType=3&Keyword=paparazzo&goquery=Find+it%21&Language=ENG&v_PageSize=10



93


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.


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.


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,"



http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=C%c3%b4te+d%27Azur&db=luna


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)



http://www.allwords.com/?SearchType=3&Keyword=wolf%20spider


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.



http://www.allwords.com/query.php?SearchType=3&Keyword=traffic&goquery=Find+it%21&Language=ENG&v_PageSize=10

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,


http://www.allwords.com/query.php?SearchType=3&Keyword=trampoline&goquery=Find+it%21&Language=ENG&v_PageSize=10


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.


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.


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



http://www.allwords.com/query.php?SearchType=3&Keyword=vista&goquery=Find+it%21&Language=ENG&v_PageSize=10


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.





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Wiktionary-logo-en.png


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


ENGLISH DICTIONARY – WITH MULTI-LINGUAL SEARCH


BRITISH NATIONA CORPUS





103

CORPUS OF CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN ENGLISH


WIKIPEDIA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

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