te

Borrowed from French thé, from Dutch thee, from Hokkien 茶 (tê).


i

From Latin ī (the name of the letter I).

der

the name of the letter <i class="Latn mention" lang="la">I</i>

The name of the Latin-script letter I/i.; i


o

From Latin ō (the name of the letter O).

inh

the name of the letter <i class="Latn mention" lang="la">O</i>

The name of the Latin-script letter O/o.


corda

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

der

(sports) string (of a tennis racquet, etc)


manu

From Latin manus (“hand”). Compare ficu for a similar gender morphology.

That which is, or may be, held in a hand at once.

(card games) The set of cards held by a player.


di

From Latin dē (the name of the letter D).

the name of the letter <i class="Latn mention" lang="la">D</i>

The name of the Latin-script letter D/d.; dee


meli

From Vulgar Latin *melem m or f, from Latin mel n.


pasta

From Late Latin pasta, from Ancient Greek παστά (pastá).


porta

From Latin porta, from the Proto-Indo-European root *per- (“to pass through”). Compare, for more, Galician, Portuguese, Italian, Corsican, and Neapolitan porta, Asturian and Spanish puerta.


za

From Late Latin thia, from Ancient Greek θεία (theía).


donna

→ Italian: donna (regional)

From Late Latin domna, shortened variant of Latin domina (“lady, mistress of an estate or household”), from dominus (“master”), from domus (“home”). Cognate with Italian donna, French dame, Portuguese dona, Spanish donna and dueña.


a

From Latin ā (the name of the letter A).

The name of the Latin-script letter A/a.; a


nanna

→ Maltese: nanna

Compare Italian nonna, Latin nonna, Ancient Greek νίννη (nínnē), English nanna.

(croquet) when the bowl goes through the hoop from the reverse side


pani

Danni oggi lu nostru pani quotidianu.

1905, Reinhold Rost, The Lord's prayer in five hundred languages, page 135:


nora

From Vulgar Latin *nŏra, from Late Latin nura, from Classical Latin nurus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *snusós.


brodu

Possibly from Proto-West Germanic *broþ (“broth”), from an earlier Proto-Germanic *bruþą (“broth”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrewh₁- (“to seethe, roil, brew”). Compare Ancient Greek βρῦτος (brûtos). Akin to Italian brodo.


lapa

→ Italian: lapa

From the proclisis of the definite article la + Vulgar Latin *apa, from Latin apis. Compare Sicilian loppiu.


zita

[ˈt̪͡s̪iːt̪ä]

Possibly a reduced from an earlier form from Vulgar Latin pittita (“small, worthless”). See above and Italian citto for more.


cassata siciliana

head

cassata siciliana f (plural cassati siciliani)


cassata

Possibly from Vulgar Latin *cāseāta, from cāseus (“cheese”), since ricotta is its main ingredient.

cassata siciliana
cassata siciliana#English


judeu

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


judeu

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

judea (feminine singular)
judei (feminine masculine plural)


boccia

→ Maltese: boċċa

bocci e ragogghia (literally “bowls and hoop”)


frumaggiu

Alternative form of furmaggiu (“cheese”)


arancinu

scn-noun

arancinu m (plural arancini or arancina)

→ English: arancino

→ Italian: arancino

From aranciu (“orange”) + -inu (masculine diminutive suffix).

affix

arancino (baked stuffed rice ball from Sicily)


cipudda

From Late Latin cēpulla, diminutive of Latin cēpa.


arancina

From aranciu (“orange”) + -ina (feminine diminutive suffix).


furmaggiu

Borrowed from Old French formage, from Medieval Latin fōrmāticum. Cf. Italian formaggio, Neapolitan furmaggio.


accia

Borrowed from Old French ache (otherwise from Occitan), ultimately from Latin apium.

Jìi a 'ccattari l'accia.


sicilianu

head

sicilianu (feminine singular siciliana, masculine and feminine plural siciliani)

siciliana (feminine singular)
siciliani (feminine masculine plural)


tuma

→ Italian: tuma

Uncertain. Possibly from the same ancient root of tumeō (“I swell”), which could derive from *tum- (“to swell”) + *-eh₂ (“feminine ending”) (used for feminine result nouns from verbs). Compare Latin tumor, tumidus.
Semantically related to Italian toma, even though the suggested etymology from tomus does not fit the phonology of Sicilian. The other italic counterparts - Neapolitan tuma and Piedmontese tùma both meaning cheese - suggest that the italianized form expunged the local/regional tonic vowel to a more "refined" one, like the French tome.The italianization process in fact typically, at an onomastic level, shaped differently many Sicilian names (like Sicilian Carusu or Gulisanu).

(chiefly) a certain degree of maturing of Sicilian pecorino cheese

A semi-hard Sicilian cheese
(rare) a cheese


frati

Somebody, usually male, connected by a common cause or situation.


fucili

From Vulgar Latin *focīlis (petra), from Latin focus, or possibly from Spanish fusil. Compare Italian fucile, French fusil.


riggina

Borrowed from Italian regina, itself borrowed from Latin rēgīna. The alternative form above shows the expected (native) Sicilian outcome.


russu

russu (feminine singular russa, masculine and feminine plural russi)

russa (feminine singular)
russi (feminine masculine plural)

From Vulgar Latin *Russus, from the adjective of Russia, a Latinization of the Old East Slavic Русь (Rusĭ). Compare Italian russo.

Russian (of, from or relating to Russia)


russu

Russian (native or inhabitant of Russia)


cafè

→ Maltese: kafè


suppa

From Late Latin suppa, borrowed from Proto-Germanic *supô, *suppa (“slice of soaked bread; soup”) (whence English soup).


cocu

→ English: Coco, Lo Coco

→ Italian: Coco, Lo Coco

→ Maltese: kok


càusi

Probably ultimately from Latin calceus, cf. Vulgar Latin *calcea, Italian calza, calzone.


dizziunariu

→ Maltese: dizzjunarju

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


ziu

From Late Latin thius, from Ancient Greek θεῖος (theîos). Compare Italian zio (“uncle”), Sardinian tiu or tziu.

elder male person, not strictly a relative


scupa

From Latin scōpa. Compare Italian scopa (“broom”).

a card game also known by its Italian name: scopa


ogghiu

di jornu nun nni vogghiu e â notti sfardu ogghiu


famigghia

[fɑ̝ˈmiɟ.ɟɑ̝]


ovu

Inherited from Vulgar Latin (*)ŏvum, from Classical Latin ōvum n. Compare Italian uovo.
The irregular plural ova reflects a continuation of the Latin plural with /-a/.

unni càcanu i palummi e fannu l'ova tunni tunni

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


cavaddu

From Late Latin caballus (“horse”), from Latin caballus (“pack horse”).


cucchiara

→ Italian: Cucchiara

Probably from Spanish cuchara, ultimately from Latin cochlearium. Compare Italian cucchiaio.


chimonu

Borrowed from Japanese 着物 (kimono, “clothing”), which is from 着 (“wearing”) + 物 (mono, “thing”).


fìcatu

From Late Latin fīcātum (“liver”), from Latin iecur fīcātum (“fig-stuffed liver”).


'nduja

→ English: nduja

→ Italian: 'nduja

[n̩̪ˈd̪uːjä]

From Old French andoille, ultimately from Latin indūcō (“cover, overlay”).

(originally southern Calabria) nduja (spicy spreadable sausage from Calabria)


triaca

From Latin theriaca, from Ancient Greek θηριακή (thēriakḗ, “antidote”) feminine form of θηριακός (thēriakós, “concerning venomous beasts”), from θήρ (thḗr, “beast”).

der

(typically Sicilian) A pasta dish made with fresh beans and served almost as a soup


jencu

→ English: Genco

→ Italian: Genco

From Latin juvencus, iuvencus (“bullock”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂yuh₁n̥ḱós, from *h₂yuh₁en- (“young”). Compare Aromanian giuncu, Romanian junc, Italian giovenco, Spanish and Portuguese juvenco, Galician xuvenco.


sonnu

From Vulgar Latin *somnum, from Latin somnium (“dream”); otherwise directly from somnus (“sleep”) (as Etymology 1). Compare Portuguese sonho, Italian sogno (“dream”) and Spanish sueño (“dream”).

suennu

Diphtongization, most of the south-eastern metaphonetic Sicilian dialects

sunnu

vocalic hypercorrection, most of the central metaphonetic Sicilian dialects

A l'autra notti fici un sonnu.


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). Compare English anchovy.


muntarozzu

→? Italian: Monti Rossi (misspelled italianized toponym)

From munti (“mountain, hill”) + -arozzu (suffix). Compare for the same desinence Italian bacarozzo.


mastru

Vulgarization of majistru, from the accusative of Latin magister. The stressed syllable shift could be explained with the conflation with a cognate variant, like the Catalan mestre. Compare Corsican maestru, French maitre, Ligurian méistro, Italian maestro, Sardinian maistru, Spanish maese.


tarantinu

Tarantino (native or inhabitant of Taranto)


aparu

→ English: Aparo

→ Italian: Aparo

From Latin apiarius, from apis (“a bee”) + -ārius (“agent of use”, “-keeper”).

suffix

A person who maintains hives and keeps bees, especially for the production of honey.


sarsa

From Vulgar Latin *salsa, noun use of the feminine of Latin salsus (“salted”), past participle of saliō (“I salt”), from sal. Compare Italian salsa.


cassatedda

From cassata + -edda (diminutive suffix). Cognate to Italian cassatella.

cassatella (deep-fried sweet ravioli from Trapani)


fìmmina

→ Italian: fèmmina

From Latin fēmina, from Proto-Italic *fēmanā, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁m̥h₁néh₂ (“(the one) nursing, breastfeeding”), the feminine mediopassive participle of *dʰeh₁(y)- (“to suck, suckle”). Cognate with Portuguese fêmea, Italian femmina, Spanish hembra, French femme.

inh

Sicilian playing cards
Sicilian playing cards

(card games) queen of the Sicilian playing cards


furmentu

[fʊɪ̯mˈmiɛ̯n̪.t̪ʊ]

Inherited from Latin frūmentum. Cognate with Italian frumento.


rìganu

→ English: Rigano

→ Italian: Rigano

Apheresis of arrìganu, from Latin orīganum, from Ancient Greek ὀρίγανον (oríganon). Compare Italian origano.

Other herbs with a similar flavor, including other species in the genus Origanum, and Mexican oregano, Lippia graveolens.


ginituri

scn-noun

ginituri m (plural ginituri or ginitura)

[d͡ʒɪ.nɪ.ˈt̪uːɾɪ]

From Latin genitor (“parent”), from genitus, participle of gignere (to beget, give birth to, produce).

(invariable, chiefly plural) progenitors


cannolu

→ Italian: cannolo, cannolo siciliano

→ Spanish: cannoli

→ English: cannoli

[kɑ̝n̺ˈn̺ɔː.lʊ̠]

From canna (“tube”) + -olu (diminutive suffix).

suffix

(pastry) cannoli; a traditional Sicilian specialty pastry consisting of a tube filled with ricotta or similar cream cheese, and other flavorings, typically eaten as a dessert.


Plutarcu

[plʊ̠ˈt̪äːɾ.kʊ̠]

From Latin Plūtarchus, from Ancient Greek Πλούτᾰρχος (Ploútarkhos).

A male given name of historical usage, equivalent to English Plutarch, notably borne by Luciu Mestriu Plutarcu of Chaeronea (Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus, ca. 46 – 120 C.E.), a celebrated Graeco-Roman philosopher, historian, biographer, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi; best known for his Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans, a biographical series commonly referred to as Plutarch's Parallel Lives.


jarrusu

From Arabic عَرُوسَة (ʕarūsa). Compare Maltese għarusa.

(offensive, vulgar) A man considered weak, effeminate, timid, pathetic, emotional, non-heteronormative in some way


tzitzi

From Late Latin thia, from Ancient Greek θεία (theía).


nannu

→ Maltese: nannu

jiri comu li ganghi di me nannu

to shake, to be unstable (literally, “to be like my grandfather's teeth”)

li cartuleggi di so nannu

past things (literally, “one's grandfather's old papers”)

Chi ura di chiànciri a me nannu!

Cu voli a so nannu si lu preja.

Si me nannu nun fussi mortu, ancora sarrìa vivu.

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


pummadoru

scn-noun

pummadoru m (plural pummadori or pummadora)

Univerbation of pumu (“apple, fruit”) + d' (“of”) + oru (“gold”), literally “golden apple”. Possibly owing to the fact that the first varieties of tomatoes arriving in Europe and spreading from Spain to Italy and North Africa were yellow. Compare Italian pomodoro and Neapolitan pummarola.

univerbation

sarsa di pummadoru

pasta cû pummadoru

an Sicilian food typically prepared with pasta, olive oil, fresh tomatoes, basil, and various other fresh ingredients.


cuḍḍura

English: Collura

Italian: Collura

From Ancient Greek κολλύρα (kollúra), further etymology is unknown.
Cognate with Greek κουλούρα (kouloúra) and κουλούρι (kouloúri), English koulouri, Persian کلیچه (količe), Russian кулич (kulič). Compare for more Ancient Greek κόλλῐξ (kóllix).


parrinu

→ Italian: Parrino

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

(South-East) male baptismal sponsor of one's child, a godfather


vucceri

→ Maltese: biċċier

Borrowed from Old French bouchier, from bouc + -ier; compare English butcher.


cànnavu

From Late Latin cannabum (or cānabum), from Latin cannabis, from Ancient Greek κάνναβις (kánnabis); see there for more. Doublet of cannabis. Compare Italian canapa and English canvas.

Cannabis sativa
Cannabis sativa#Translingual

(collective) the fibers of the hemp plant


cànnava

From Late Latin cannaba (or cānaba), from Latin cannabis, from Ancient Greek κάνναβις (kánnabis); see there for more. Doublet of cannabis. Compare Italian canapa and English canvas.


javiu

Ioticized dialectal variant of an earlier gàuju (with the fricatization of the intermediate semiconsonants /ˈjaw.j(i).ʊ/ < /ˈja.vjʊ/), from an older unattested form *ga(u)j(i)u, from Latin gaudium (“joy”). Cognate with Portuguese goivo and Sardinian gaju.

Trìvulu 'n cumuni e menzu javiu.

(Prevalent in Eastern Sicily) joy, delight


cugnata

From Latin cognāta (“related by blood”), from cum (“with”) + nāta (“born”).


àguru

head

àguru (feminine singular àgura, masculine and feminine plural àguri)

àgura (feminine singular)
àguri (feminine masculine plural)

From Vulgar Latin *ag(u)rum, ācrus, from Latin ācer, from Proto-Italic *akris, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ḱrós (“sharp”). Compare ciàguru, nìguru, màguru.


cucchia

From Vulgar Latin *cōpla, from Latin cōpula. Compare Italian coppia.


stivala

→ Italian: Stivala

Origin disputed. Ultimately either from Medieval Latin aestivālis (“summerly”), in place of Classical Latin aestīvus (whence also Sicilian stivu), from aestās (“summer”), or from tībiālis (“tibial, of the tibia”), from tībia. Compare Old French estival, Italian stivale.

unk

disputed


muscu

From Latin mūscus, from Proto-Indo-European *mews-. Cognates include Proto-Germanic *musą, Proto-Slavic *mъxъ.
Compare Italian muschio, Romanian mușchi, Friulian muscli.


strùmmula

From Ancient Greek στρόμβος (strómbos, “spinning top”) + -ula (diminutive suffix). Unrelated to Italian strombola (“a sling”).

af

grc:στρόμβος


buleu

Uncertain. Likely akin to Italian paleo (“a kind of spinning top”). The voiced b- and pre-tonic -u- could be due to influence of Spanish bolear (“to make into balls”).


cugnatu

From Latin cognātus (“related by blood”), from cum (“with”) + nātus (“born”).


cippu

Inherited from Latin cippus. Cognate with Italian ceppo.

Coordinate term: tressu

(typography) the superior of the two wooden beams at the sides of a printing press


astrattu

A concentrated tomato paste made by drying tomato purée in the sun


cascavaddu

cascavaḍḍu (canonical)
cascavaḍḍi (plural)

→ Ottoman Turkish: قاشقوال (kaşkaval) (see there for further descendants)

desc

→ Italian: caciocavallo (calque) (together with Neapolitan) (see there for further descendants)

From caciu (“cheese”) + cavaḍḍu (“horse”).

(countable and uncountable) caciocavallo (type of cheese)


tòrtula

Compare Italian trottola, with metathesis.


valanza

From a Vulgar Latin variant of Latin bilanx. Compare Italian bilancia.


pisci d'ovu

From pisci + di + ovu, Literally, “fish of egg”, because it was prepared by the lower class who could not afford fish.

(south-eastern Sicily, dish) A dish of beaten eggs, then fried with olive oil. It can be prepared by adding breadcrumbs and grated cheese in the mix, or any other local ingredient.

south-eastern Sicily; dish; south-eastern Sicily; dish


gnòcculu

→ Maltese: nokkla

(chiefly in the plural) gnocchi (type of pasta)


paparina

Contraction of *papavarina, inherited from Latin papāver (“poppy”) + -ina. Compare Greek παπαρούνα (paparoúna).

(hunting, uncountable) Synonym of chiummu (“birdshots”)


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”)


pupu cu l'ovu

head

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”).


prèula

Inherited from Latin pergula. Compare Italian pergola.

(viticulture) a framework that supports vine, a trellis


maccarruni

→ Maltese: mqarrun

desctree

→ Ottoman Turkish: مقارنه (makarna), maccarrúna (makaruna) (in a 1611 transcription text)
Turkish: makarna
→ Armenian: մախառնա (maxaṙna), մաքառնա (makʻaṙna), մաքարնա (makʻarna), մաքառինա (makʻaṙina), մաքարինա (makʻarina), մակարինա (makarina)
→ Bulgarian: макари́на (makarína)
→ Georgian: მაკარინა (maḳarina)
→ Laz: მაკარინა (maǩarina), მაკაინა (maǩaina), მაკაჲინა (maǩayina) — alternative spellings
→ North Levantine Arabic: [script needed] (maqārna, maqarīna) — Damascus
→ Pontic Greek: μακαρίνα (makarína)

Cognate with Italian maccherone, see there for more.

maccarruna di zita

lu caciu nta li maccarruna

a perfect situation (literally, “cheese on macaroni”)

manciari li maccarruna 'n testa a 'n àutru

to be smarter than someone else (literally, “to eat macaroni on top of someone else's head”)

sìmplici comu l'acqua di li maccarruna

(of a person) mischievous (literally, “as clear as the macaroni's water”)

lavatu ntall'acqua di li maccarruna

(of a person) foolish (literally, “washed in the macaroni's water”)


padeḍḍa

From the sonorization of Latin patella, diminutive of patera or patina. Doublet of pateḍḍa.


sartànija

Through an intermediate *sartaniga, from the metathesis of Late Latin sartāgō, sartāginem (“frying pan”). Compare Neapolitan sartàjine, Portuguese sertã, Romanesco sartàina, Sardinian sartaghine, Spanish sartén. Cfr., for the morphology, russànija, vurrànija and filìnija.


macineddu

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


ragogghia

From Spanish argolla (“ring”), from Arabic غُلّ (ḡull).

ring. Particularly:
(croquet) hoop, wicket


firriolu

→? Italian: ferraiolo

→ Spanish: herreruelo

→ Maltese: firjol

Connected to Spanish herreruelo; the borrowing directions are badly accounted for. Possibly with influence of firriari (“to spin”).

cuddaru di lu firriolu

neck collar (literally, “collar of the ferraiolo”)

a lu cògghiri di li firriola

at the end of the day (literally, “at the grasping of the cape (to stand up)”)

D'un firriolu nni fici un buttuni.

(literally, “Out of a ferraiolo he made a button.”)


cileccu

→ Maltese: ġlekk

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish یلك (yelek), whence Turkish yelek.

bor+

Near-synonym: jippuni

Stu cileccu mi veni bonu.


virruggiu

Near-synonyms: tràpanu, virrina

large auger, gimlet (especially winemaking)


rijitanu

head

rijitanu (feminine singular rijitana, masculine and feminine plural rijitani)

rijitana (feminine singular)
rijitani (feminine masculine plural)

By surface analysis, Riju + itanu; from Late Latin rhēgītanus (attested in the 5th-century De haeresi et historia Eutychiana), from Rhēgium + -ītānus, ultimately from Latin Rhegium, from Ancient Greek Ῥήγιον (Rhḗgion).


rijitanu

native or inhabitant of Reggio Calabria (male or of unspecified gender)


parrina

Influenced by an Occitan/Norman stratum, ultimately from Early Medieval Latin patrīna.

(South-East) female baptismal sponsor of one's child, a godmother


baḍḍa

→ Italian: badda (regional)

Possibly from Medieval Latin balla, ultimately from Frankish *ballu, from Proto-Germanic *balluz.

palla

desonorized, dialectal Italianate variants

(sports) ball (object used for playing games)


brìscula

Unknown. Cfr. vrisca. Compare French brisque, Italian briscola, Portuguese bisca, Serbo-Croatian briškula.