corda

From Latin chorda (“cord”), from Ancient Greek χορδή (khordḗ, “string of gut, the string of a lyre”).

der

(music) string, cord (of a musical instrument)


chitarra

Borrowed from Arabic قِيثَارَة (qīṯāra), from Latin cithara, from Ancient Greek κιθάρα (kithára).


Europa

Borrowed from Latin Eurōpa. Doublet of Sicilian Aurupa.

(mythology, Greek mythology) Europa (consort of Zeus, daughter of Agenor)

(mythology, Greek mythology) Europa (daughter of Oceanus and Tethys)


arpa

From Latin harpē (“bird of prey, falcon”), from Ancient Greek ἅρπη (hárpē, “bird of prey, falcon”).


judeu

From Latin iūdaeus (“Jew; Judaean”), from Ancient Greek Ἰουδαῖος (Ioudaîos), from Hebrew יהודי (Yehudi).
By surface analysis, Judìa + -eu.


judeu

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judeu (feminine singular judea, masculine and feminine plural judei)

judea (feminine singular)
judei (feminine masculine plural)


chiavi

→ Maltese: ċavi, ⇒ ċavu

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

In full: chiavi di l'arcu

(music) key (to select notes in wind instruments)


dizziunariu

→ Maltese: dizzjunarju

Borrowed from Medieval Latin dictiōnārium (“dictionary”), derived from Latin dictiō (“saying, speaking”) + -ārium.


nannu

→ Maltese: nannu

nannu (di) Carnilivari

mòriri lu nannu

Local folkloric figure personification of Carnival, a dummy resembling a devil that is lit up at the end of the festivities.


chiummu

→ Maltese: ċomb

Inherited from Latin plumbum (“lead”). Compare Italian piombo and Neapolitan chiummo.

acchiummari

to plumb, to use a plumb bob as an aligning tool

fari li cosi cu lu chiummu e lu cumpassu

to do things with the utmost care (literally, “to do things with the plumb bob and compass”)


dieri

English: dieri

Italian: diere

From Arabic ديار, plural of دَار (dār, “house, building, structure”).

(architecture) Sicilian rupestrian house carved into the limestone rock, found on the Hyblaean Mountains.


parrinu

→ Italian: Parrino

From an Occitan/Norman stratum (compare Old French pere), ultimately from Early Medieval Latin patrīnus.


donni di casa

From donni di casa (“masters of the house”). Compare Spanish duen de casa (“master of the house”). See more at doñas de fuera, Sicilian donni di fora, Latin Lares.

cog

(Sicilian folklore) Supernatural creatures of Sicilian superstition and folklore, typically female, who invaded the streets and homes at night to carry out mischief and scare the residents.


stiḍḍa

Italian: Stidda

Maltese: stilla

From Latin stēlla, from Proto-Italic *stērolā, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂stḗr.

Stiḍḍa ca curri.

(astrology) A planet supposed to influence one's destiny.


cugnu

→ Italian: cugno, Cugno

From Latin cuneus. Compare Galician cuño, Portuguese cunho and cunha, Spanish cuño and cuña, Italian cuneo and conio.

(architecture) A voussoir, one of the wedge-shaped blocks forming an arch or vault.

Any symbol shaped like a V in some given orientation.

(music) A hairpin, an elongated horizontal V-shaped sign indicating a crescendo or decrescendo.


Circi

(Greek mythology) An enchantress who turned Odysseus' men into pigs.


Ilìa

Sicilian: Lìa

Italian: Lia

Borrowed from Latin Ēliās, from Ancient Greek Ἠλίας (Ēlías), from Hebrew אֵלִיָּה (ēliyā́, “Jah is my God”).

der

(religion) An Israelite prophet in the Abrahamic religions.


Lìa

→ Italian: Lia

→ Italian: Elia, Lea (italianized variant)

Sicilian: Liuzzu, Luzzu

Italian: Liuzzo

Apocoped variant of Ilìa, from Latin Ēliās, from Ancient Greek Ἠλίας (Ēlías), from Hebrew אֵלִיָּה (ēliyā́, “Jah is my God”).

(religion) Elijah, an Israelite prophet in the Abrahamic religions.


stagghiari

Possibly s- (“to cut”) + tagghiari. Compare Italian stagliare (“to cut roughly”).

(transitive) to stanch (to stop the flow); to stop, interrupt, delay

(Christianity) to commence the canonical hours with a toll of the bell


pupu cu l'ovu

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pupu cu l'ovu m (plural pupi cu l'ovu or pupi cu l'ova)

pupi cu l'ovu (plural)
pupi cu l'ova (plural)

A pastry prepared in various shapes with an egg placed in the middle, prepared during Easter.


campanaru

→ Maltese: kampnar

From campana (“bell”) + -aru. Compare Spanish campanario, Greek καμπαναριό (kampanarió, “bell tower”) and Italian campanaro, Spanish campanero (“bell ringer”).

cog

girari comu la bannirola di lu campanaru

to be unstable (literally, “to spin like the bell tower's weather vane”)

bell tower, belfry, campanile (steeple of a church containing a bell)


macineddu

From màcina + -eddu. Compare Italian macinello and Maltese maċinell.


maggiuri

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maggiuri (feminine singular maggiuri, masculine and feminine plural maggiuri)

maggiuri (feminine singular)
maggiuri (feminine masculine plural)

From Latin maior. Compare Italian maggiore.


bagghiu

→ Italian: baglio, Baglio

From Latin ballium, possibly from a previous Celtic stratum. Compare Old French baile, English bailey, Irish baile. Perhaps related to baulì.

(historical, architecture) A ancient building containing a courtyard or a yard.