gattu

From the sonorization of Late Latin cattus.

A domesticated species (Felis catus) of feline animal, commonly kept as a house pet.


gatta

From the sonorization of Late Latin catta.

A cat, regardless of whether male or female.


chiavi

→ Maltese: ċavi, ⇒ ċavu

From Latin clāvis, clāvem (“key”). Cognate with Italian chiave.

(equestrianism) metal ring the reins go through


aceddu

From Late Latin aucellus m (“little bird”), a diminutive ultimately based on Latin avis f (“bird”). Compare Italian uccello, Neapolitan auciello.


sferra

From Vulgar Latin *exferra. By surface analysis, sfirrari (“to unshoe (a horse)”) + -a. For clearer semantic evolution see Italian sferra, and compare Neapolitan sferra. Doublet of scerra.

surf

(farriery) broken old exhausted horseshoe after it is taken from the hoof of the horse


sceccu

→ Italian: scecco

Likely borrowed from Ottoman Turkish اشك (eşek, “donkey”).


cunigghiu

Ultimately from Latin cunīculus. Judging by its consonantism, borrowed from some Western Romance dialect, perhaps Gallo-Italic. Compare Italian coniglio.


vurpi

desc

from the form <i class="Latn mention" lang="scn">gulpi</i>

→ Maltese: gilpa (from the form gulpi)

Vulpes vulpes
Vulpes vulpes#Translingual

A red fox, small carnivore (Vulpes vulpes), related to dogs and wolves, with red or silver fur and a bushy tail.


jattu

From the iotacism of gattu, already sonorized from Late Latin cattus.


ovu

Inherited from Vulgar Latin (*)ŏvum, from Classical Latin ōvum n. Compare Italian uovo.
The plural l'ova reflects a continuation of the Latin plural with /-a/,
like many other Sicilian and Old Italian words.
These, in Italian, are all declined as feminine plurals, even though they were masculine in the singular.
Compare Italian le uova.

unni càcanu i palummi e fannu l'ova tunni tunni

Anything shaped like an egg, such as an Easter egg or a chocolate egg.


liuni

→ Maltese: ljun


ciareddu

/t͡ʃaˈɾɛɖɖu/

Borrowed from Old French chevrel (modern chevreau (“kid”)).


agugghia

From Old Occitan agulha, from Late Latin acūcula, diminutive of Latin acus (“needle”). Compare French and English aiguille, Italian aguglia.

Belone belone
Belone belone#Translingual

(zoology)
broadnosed pipefish (Syngnathus typhle)


pisci spata

Xiphias gladius
Xiphias gladius#Translingual


quagghia

E 'nti ssa strada cci abita 'na quagghia, / La vannu cacciannu li spriveri; / [...]

1874, Lionardo Vigo, Raccolta amplissima di canti popolari siciliani, page 369:


palumma

From Vulgar Latin palumba, from Latin palumbus. Akin to Italian colomba.

'Na jurnata mentri si pittinava, trasi na palumma, afferrasi la pittinissa e scappa.

1875, Giuseppe Pitrè, Fiabe, novelle e racconti popolari siciliani, page 346:

One day while she combed her hair, a dove entered, snatched the comb and escaped.


anciova

→ Italian: anciova (regional)

[a̠n̠ʲˈt͡ʃɔːva̠]

Possibly from Spanish anchova, anchoa, ultimately from Ligurian anciôa, from Vulgar Latin *apiuva, from Latin aphyē (“small fry”), from Ancient Greek ἀφύη (aphúē). The nasal consonant remains unexplained; however, this is an epenthesis, not originally attested, commonly popping up in many non-Greek borrowings. Compare English anchovy, for more.


rizzu

→ Albanian: rric — Arbëresh

→ Italiot Greek: [Term?] (/ríttso/, “hedgehog”)

From Latin ēricius (“hedgehog”). Cognate with Italian riccio. Doublet of rizza.

fari comu lu rizzu

to deceive with humble manners, to then betray or assault (literally, “to act like the hedgehog”)

Erinaceus europaeus
Erinaceus europaeus#Translingual


jatta

From the iotacism of gatta, already sonorized from Late Latin catta.


biccaccia

From Latin beccus (“beak”), further history unknown. Compare Italian beccaccia.


puddaru

[pʊ̠ɖˈɖäː.ɾʊ̠]

From Late Latin pullārium, from Latin pullārius (“pertaining to young animals or chicks”), from pullus (“young animal, chick”) from Proto-Indo-European *polH- (“animal young”). Compare Italian pollaio, Spanish pollero, Portuguese poleiro.

der

henhouse, hencoop, chicken coop, chicken run, roost


puddastra

/puɖˈɖaʂːɽa/

[pʊ̠ɖˈɖäʂ.ʂɽɑ̝]

From Late Latin pullastra, from Latin pullus (“chick, chicken”) + -aster, from Proto-Indo-European *polH- (“animal young”). Compare Italian pollastro, pollastra.


àsinu

Latin asinus, like Italian asino. See the Latin entry for more cognates.


ciàula

→ Maltese: ċawl

Unknown. Compare Neapolitan ciàula, Tarantino ciola, Friulian çore. Compare also Romanian cioară, Albanian sorrë.
Pasqualino suggests cià, onomatopoeia imitating the bird's sound, + -ula (diminutive suffix), and compares it to the similarly formed Latin grāculus (“jackdaw”).

Various black cawing birds:
crow (Corvus corone)

Corvus corone
Corvus corone#Translingual

Various black cawing birds:
magpie (Pica pica)

Various black cawing birds:
jackdaw (Coloeus monedula)

Coloeus monedula
Coloeus monedula#Translingual

’Avi […] li capiddi a culuri di li ciauli[…].

1785 – 1787, Giovanni Meli, Don Chisciotti e Sanciu Panza 7.71


carcarazza

Borrowed from Byzantine Greek καρακάξα (karakáxa, “jay”), influenced by carcariari (“to cackle, squawk, of birds”).

bor+

vuci di carcarazza ― discordant voice (literally, “magpie's voice”)


alciuni

From Latin alcyōn, from Ancient Greek ἀλκυών (alkuṓn, “kingfisher”). Compare Italian alcione (“kingfisher, seagull”).


sfirrari

sfirratu (participle past)
sfirrari (infinitive)
sfirrannu (gerund)
sfirratu (participle past)
sferru (first-person indicative present singular)
sferri (indicative present second-person singular)
sferra (indicative present singular third-person)
sfirramu (first-person indicative plural present)
sfirrati (indicative plural present second-person)
sfèrranu (indicative plural present third-person)
sfèrrunu (indicative plural present third-person)
sfirrava (first-person imperfect indicative singular)
sfirravu (first-person imperfect indicative singular)
sfirravi (imperfect indicative second-person singular)
sfirrava (imperfect indicative singular third-person)
sfirràvamu (first-person imperfect indicative plural)
sfirràvavu (imperfect indicative plural second-person)
sfirràvanu (imperfect indicative plural third-person)
sfirràvunu (imperfect indicative plural third-person)
sfirrai (first-person indicative preterite singular)
sfirrasti (indicative preterite second-person singular)
sfirrau (indicative preterite singular third-person)
sfirrò (indicative preterite singular third-person)
sfirrammu (first-person indicative plural preterite)
sfirramu (first-person indicative plural preterite)
sfirràstivu (indicative plural preterite second-person)
sfirràrunu (indicative plural preterite third-person)
sfirraru (indicative plural preterite third-person)
sfirrirò (first-person future indicative singular)
sfirrirogghiu (first-person future indicative singular)
sfirrirai (future indicative second-person singular)
sfirrirà (future indicative singular third-person)
sfirriremu (first-person future indicative plural)
sfirrireti (future indicative plural second-person)
sfirririti (future indicative plural second-person)
sfirrirannu (future indicative plural third-person)
sfirrirìa (first-person indicative singular)
sfirririssi (indicative second-person singular)
sfirrirìa (indicative singular third-person)
sfirrirìamu (first-person indicative plural)
sfirrirìavu (indicative plural second-person)
sfirrirìanu (indicative plural third-person)
sferru (first-person present singular subjunctive)
sferri (present second-person singular subjunctive)
sferra (present singular subjunctive third-person)
sfirramu (first-person plural present subjunctive)
sfirrati (plural present second-person subjunctive)
sfèrranu (plural present subjunctive third-person)
sfèrrunu (plural present subjunctive third-person)
sfirrassi (first-person imperfect singular subjunctive)
sfirrassi (imperfect second-person singular subjunctive)
sfirrassi (imperfect singular subjunctive third-person)
sfirràssimu (first-person imperfect plural subjunctive)
sfirràssivu (imperfect plural second-person subjunctive)
sfirràssiru (imperfect plural subjunctive third-person)
sferra (imperative second-person singular)
sfirrassi (imperative singular third-person)
sfirramu (first-person imperative plural)
sfirrati (imperative plural second-person)

From Vulgar Latin *exferrō, *exferrāre. Compare Italian sferrare. By surface analysis, s- + ferru + -ari. Compare Italian perdere le staffe. Cfr. also firrijari~furrijari.

E sachi ki quantu plui si ferra lu cavallu iuvini tantu plui li soi unghi diventanu debili e molli, kí lu usu di andari sferatu genera da la sua iuvintuti li soi unghi duri e grandi.

a. 1368, De Cruyllis–Spatafora, “Di la guardia et di la doctrina di lu cavallu”, in Libru di la Mascalchia […], translation of De Medicina equorum by Giordano Ruffo, page 11v:

And know that the younger the horse is shoed the more his hooves become weak and soft, because the practice of going unshoed yields big and strong hooves from his youth.

(transitive, farriery) to unshoe (a horse)


crapistu

Inherited from Latin capistrum. Cognate with Italian capestro.

Prisu e misuli lu capistru in testa minissi ad unu locu ki si adusi ad adumari […]

a. 1368, De Cruyllis–Spatafora, “lu modu di piglari di infrinari e di adumari li cavalli”, in Libru di la Mascalchia […], translation of De Medicina equorum by Giordano Ruffo, page 10r:

After taking and attaching the halter to its head, it shall be brought in a place suitable for taming.


picciuni

scn-noun

picciuni m (plural picciuna or picciuni)

→ Maltese: beċċun

From Latin pīpiō, pīpiōnem (“chirping bird”).

A la morti si spinna lu picciuni.

(literally, “The feathers of the pigeon are plucked when it died.”)

Someone's will goes into effect once they die.


curveddu

→ Maltese: gurbell

From corvu (“crow”) + -eddu, because of its dark colour. Compare Italian corvello.


stummu

→ Italian: stummo (regional)

Uncertain. Possibly from an unattested intermediate Vulgar Latin *stumbu(m), from Latin scomber, from Ancient Greek σκόμβρος (skómbros), which is, according to Beekes, of Pre-Greek origin.
Compare for more Italian sgombro, Spanish escombro.

Scomber scombrus
Scomber scombrus#Translingual