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Two Romance Etymologies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 April 2026

Henry Kahane  and
Renée Kahane
Henry Kahane
Affiliation:
University of Illinois
Renée Kahane
Affiliation:
University of Illinois
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Extract

Since Muratori, there have been several attempts to explain etymologically Ital. pozzánghera ‘mud-puddle’. The following ones stand out: 1. Caix identifies pozzánghera with Emilian pociacra and traces both back to Lat. *puteacula. 2. Meyer-Lübke considers it a derivative from puteus, but leaves it with the remark: ‘mit unerklärtem Ausgang’. 3. Gamillscheg sees the etymon in Langob. putz-angar ‘versumpfter Platz’, supporting his theory by geographical reasons. From the supposedly Langobardic origin of the compound pozzánghera Gamillscheg infers Langobardic origin also for the simple pozza ‘mud-puddle’. 4. Hubschmied derives both pozzánghera and pozzángola from puteus with the suffix -ang (which occasionally adds a pejorative nuance to the basic word), reinforced by a diminutive suffix. 5. Hall reconstructs on the basis of Emil. pociacra Ital. *pozzachera, according to him a derivative of pozza, enlarged by the pejorative -́era: pozzánghera, then, is a crossing of this *pozzachera with fango ‘mud’. The weakness of these hypotheses consists in the fact that they do not consider sufficiently either the older forms or the geographical distribution of the term under discussion.

Information

Type
Miscellanea
Information
Language , Volume 20 , Issue 2: April-June , June 1944 , pp. 77 - 84
Copyright
Copyright © 1944 Linguistic Society of America

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Footnotes

1

The abbreviations are generally those used by R. A. Hall Jr. in his Bibliography of Italian Linguistics, Linguistic Society of America, 1941.

References

2 Antiquitates italicae 6.923 (Arretii, 1775).

3 N. Caix, Studi di etimologia italiana e romanza, §459 (Firenze, 1878).

4 REW §6877.

5 E. Gamillscheg, Romania Germanica 2.152 (Berlin and Leipzig, 1935).

6 J. U. Hubschmied, Romanisch -inco, -anco, RH 14.249 [Mélanges Duraffour] (1939).

7 R. A. Hall Jr., Lang. 15.39 (1939).

8 Tommaseo-Bellini s.v.

9 AIS Map 850 pozzanghera: point 624 (prov. Roma).

10 S. Pieri, Toponomastica delle valli del Serchio e della Lima, AGlS 5.188 (1898).

11 Cf. e.g. the parallel Ital. macchia ~ macola; REW §5212; Meyer-Lübke, Introducción a la lingüistica románica 61–2, 235–7 (Madrid, 1926).

12 AIS Map 850 pozzanghera: points 522, 541, 542, 570, 583. Petrocchi s.v.

13 A. Traina, Nuovo vocabolario siciliano-italiano, Palermo, 1868; Vocabolarietto delle voci siciliane, Palermo, 1868.

14 E. G. Parodi, Studî liguri, AGl. 15.71 (1901).

15 Parodi, op.cit. 36.

16 Loc.cit. (note 7).

17 AIS Map 849 fango.

18 If not otherwise stated, the meaning in the following records is ‘mud-puddle’. The phonetic transcriptions of the different sources have been simplified.

19 F. Cherubini, Vocabolario milanese-italiano s.vv. pocciacca, poccicca (Milano, 1839–56). G. Banfi, Vocabolario milanese-italiano s.v. pocciacca (Milano, 1857). C. Arrighi, Dizionario milanese-italiano s.v. pocciacchera (Milano, 1896).

20 AIS Map 850 pozzanghera: point 274.

21 P. Monti, Vocabolario dei dialetti della città e diocesi di Como (Milano, 1845).

22 P. Monti, Saggio di vocabolario della Gallia cisalpina (Milano, 1856).

23 AIS Map 850 pozzanghera: point 216.

24 AIS Map 850 pozzanghera: point 53.

25 C. Gambini, Dizionario domestico pavese-italiano s.v. pociacrä (Pavia, 1829). C. Gambini, Vocabolario pavese-italiano s.v. pociacra (Pavia, 1850). R. Manfredi, Dizionario pavese-italiano s.v. pouciacra (Pavia, 1874).

26 AIS Map 850 pozzanghera: points 282, 290.

27 AIS Map 850 pozzanghera: point 248.

28 AIS Map 850 pozzanghera: point 286.

29 Cherubini, op.cit. (note 19), s.v.; Banfi, op.cit. (note 19), s.v.

30 Monti, op.cit. (note 21) s.vv. pociaca, pocianga.

31 F. Gysling, Contributo alla conoscenza del dialetto della Valle Anzasca, AR 13.180 (1929).

32 N. Nicolet, Der Dialekt des Antronatales 171 (ZRPh., Bhft. 79, Halle, 1929).

33 AIS Map 850 pozzanghera: point 42.

34 C. Salvioni, Bollettino storico della Svizzera italiana 20.40 n. 4 (1898); followed by Hubschmied, op.cit. (note 6) 254, with different interpretation.

35 ‘Con i per e, come suole avvenire in piemontese: plur. pro sing.‘; A. Levi, Le palatali piemontesi §237d 3 (Torino, 1918).

36 Levi, loc.cit., with unconvincing etymological explanation. Furthermore: C. Zalli, Dizionario piemontese s.v. pociacri (Carmagnola, 1830). V. di Sant'Albino, Gran dizionario piemontese-italiano s.v. pociacri (Torino, 1859). M. Ponza, Vocabolario piemonteseitaliano s.v. pociacri (Pinerolo, 1860). M. Dal Pozzo, Glossario etimologico piemontese s.v. pociacri (Torino, 1888).

37 AIS Map 850 pozzanghera: point 159.

38 AIS Map 850 pozzanghera: point 129.

39 F. Tonetti, Dizionario del dialetto Valsesiano 239 (Varallo, 1894), quoted by Gysling, loc. cit. (note 31).

40 Parodi, loc.cit. (note 14).

41 AIS Map 849 fango: point 179.

42 F. Nicolli, Della etimologia dei nomi di luogo degli stati ducali di Parma, Piacenza e Guastalla 188 (Piacenza, 1863).

43 F. Nicolli, Catalogo di voci moderne piacentino-italiane (Piacenza, 1832).

44 AIS Map 850 pozzanghera: point 420.

45 Chronicon Parmense, ed. G. Bonazzi 108 (Muratori, RISS, ed. nova 9.9; Città di Castello, 1902). Cf. Du Cange s.v. pozacharus.

46 C. Malaspina, Vocabolario parmigiano-italiano (Parma, 1856–59).

47 AIS Map 850 pozzanghera: point 453.

48 AIS Map 850 pozzanghera: point 454.

49 The change of the protonic o > a is due to folk-etymological influence of derivatives of the onomatopoetic stem pac (REW §6138b), largely diffused in northern Italy in the meaning ‘mud, mud-puddle’; cf. A. Levi, op.cit. (note 35) §235b, c, and A. Prati, AGl. 18.426 f. (1914–22), who, however, seem to have overlooked the etymological connection of the Bolognese term with *puteacula. Dialectical dictionaries: C. E. Ferrari, Vocabolario bolognese s.v. paciacra (Bologna, 1820). M. Aureli, Nuovo dizionario ... del dialetto bolognese s.v. pacciacra (Bologna, 1851). G. Ungarelli, Vocabolario del dialetto bolognese s.v. paciacra (Bologna, 1901).

50 F. Nannini, Vocabolario ... ferrarese-italiano (Ferrara, 1805). C. Azzi, Vocabolario domestico ferrarese-italiano (Ferrara, 1857).

51 D. Olivieri, Studî sulla toponomastica veneta, StGl. 3.198 (1903); to the explanation of the forms cf. 206, 106 n. 1, 208. D. Olivieri, Saggio di una illustrazione generale della toponomastica veneta 340 (Città di Castello, 1914).

52 AIS Map 850 pozzanghera: points 311, 320, 333.

53 G. Boerio, Dizionario del dialetto veneziano (Venezia, 1829).

54 AIS Map 850 pozzanghera: points 307, 316.

55 AIS Map 850 pozzanghera: points 326, 357; Map 849 fango: points 326, 327.

56 O. Zenatti, La vita comunale ed il dialetto di Trieste nel 1426, p. 68 (Trieste, 1888). [Offprint; the study was published in ATr. NS. 14.61–191 (1888).] On p. 114, Zenatti comments: ‘pozachera: terreno ridotto a via e così chiamato perché, formando esso una depressione, le acque che scorrevano giù dalle alture della Rena (quartiere della città che conserva il nome dell'antica Arena, sul cui posto sorse) vi formavano una pozzanghera.‘

57 E. Kossovitz, Dizionario vocabolario del dialetto triestino (Trieste, 1889).

58 Tommaseo-Bellini s.v.

59 Tommaseo-Bellini s.v.

60 M. del Bono, Dizionario siciliano ... (Palermo, 1751–54). M. Pasqualino, Vocabolario etimologico siciliano ... (Palermo, 1785–95). G. Biundi, Vocabolario ... siciliano (Palermo, 1851 and 1865). V. Mortillaro, Nuovo dizionario siciliano-italiano, Palermo, 1853 (and 1876). A. Traina, Nuovo vocabolario siciliano-italiano (Palermo, 1868).

61 G. Cremonesi, Vocabolario del dialetto agnonese (Agnone, 1893).

62 Levy 6, 492.

63 Levy 6, 492–3.

64 Levy 6, 493.

65 Levy 6, 493. The meaning of this passage is not clear to Levy. Raynouard 4, 618 translates: ‘en fosse privée’.

66 J. T. Avril, Dictionnaire provençal-français (Apt, 1839). E. Garcin, Nouveau dictionnaire provençal-français (Draguignan, 1841). Mistral.—For Mod. Provençal pouso-raco ‘device for raising water’, cf. F. Krüger, Volkskundliches aus der Provence, Philologische Studien . . . Karl Voretzsch . . . dargebracht 309 and 310 n. 3 (Halle, 1927); and W. Giese, Ueber portugiesische Brunnen, WS 11.71 and n. 3 (1928), according to whom the device (not the word) proceeded from Catalonia.

67 César Oudin and others, Le thresor des trois langues, espagnole, françoise, et italienne s.v. anoria (Cologny, 1617). C. Oudin, Tesoro de las dos lenguas española y francesa s.v. anoria (Bruxelles, 1625), s.v. poserague (1660). Then, Antoine Oudin, César's son, listed poserague [Lacurne s.v.]; he was quoted by Ménage, a. 1750, s.v. A. 1860, Bescherelle (vol. 2, s.v.) registers pousarague.

68 Abbé de Sauvage, Dictionnaire languedocien-français s.v. pouzaranco (Nîmes, 1756), s.vv. pous a lanco, pous a ranco (1785). G. Azaïs, Dictionnaire des idiomes romans du Midi de la France s.vv. pouzalanco, pouzaranco (Montpellier, 1877). M. D'Hombres et G. Charvet, Dictionnaire languedocien-français s.vv. pous-à-ranco, pouséranquo (Alais, 1884). Mistral s.v. pouso-raco.

69 Mistral s.v. pouso-raco.

70 P. Fesquet, Le Provençal de Nîmes et le Languedocien de Colognac comparés, RLR 15.255 (1879).

71 Fesquet, loc.cit.

72 E. Mâzuc, Grammaire languedocienne; dialecte de Pézenas, Toulouse, 1899.

73 Gary, Dictionnaire ... du département du Tarn et des départements circonvoisins (Castres, 1845).

74 Azaïs, loc.cit. (note 68).

75 ALF Map 1621 mare: point 744 and point 733.

76 Mistral s.v. pouso-raco.

77 Diccionari de la llengua catalana (Dicc. Salvat) [1911?]. For Empurdá: J. Coromines, BDC 24.37 (1936). For this device of raising water, cf. F. Krüger, Die nordwestiberische Volkskultur, WS 10.100 and n. 5 (1927).

78 A. Griera, La casa catalana, BDC 20.53 (1932). Bosch de la Trinxeria, to whom Griera refers, was born in Prats de Molió, in the Pyrénées-Orientales, which he describes in his works.

79 ‘Diccionari Aguiló‘: Materials lexicogràfics aplegats per M. Aguiló i Fuster s.v. ciconya (Barcelona, 1914–34). Krüger, op.cit. (note 77), 100 n. 5.

80 Tolhausen s.v. pozanco. G. M. Vergara y Martín, Diccionario de voces y términos geográficos s.v. pozanco (Madrid, 1926).

81 J. Leite de Vasconcellos, Rom. 48.123 (1922). Cf., however, Hubschmied, loc.cit. (note 6), who explains poçanco as a derivative from poço with the suffix -anco.

82 This folk-etymological formation induced two scholars to a misinterpretation of the word: J. Ronjat, Grammaire istorique des parlers provençaux modernes 3.333, 474 (Montpellier, 1937), sees in pouso -raco a combination of two verbs, pozar ‘puiser’ and racar ‘vomir’, with the literal meaning ‘puise—vomit’; and F. Krüger, op.cit. (note 77) 101 n. 1 derives Catal. poaranca from pohar ‘schöpfen’.

83 REW §5713.

84 Figueiredo s.v. (1913). Moraes Silva s.v. (1889–91).

85 Diccionario de la lengua castellana (Real Academia Española, Madrid, 1726–39). This Span. word mohina is a derivative of Span. mohino ‘desdichado; enojado, airado ù enfadado contra alguno’, which, as well as Portug. mofino ‘infeliz, desgraçado, desdichado; mesquinho, parco con excesso; tacanho’ proceeded from Visigothic *mudweins ‘mouldy; peevish’, a derivative of Gothic *mudw ‘mud, mould’ (E. Gamillscheg, Romania Germanica 1.371–2 [Berlin and Leipzig, 1934]).

86 Figueiredo s.v. móina.

87 J. Diogo Ribeiro, Linguagem popular de Turquel, Revista Lusitana 28.118 (1930).

88 Ibidem.

89 Figueiredo, loc.cit.

90 Ibidem.

91 Figueiredo s.v.

92 FEW 3.211.

93 For this frequent transmission of abstracts to masc. names of persons in Portuguese, cf. L. Spitzer, Die epizönen Nomina auf -a(s) in den iberischen Sprachen, in Beiträge zur romanischen Wortbildungslehre 121 (Biblioteca dell' “Archivum Romanicum” 2.2; Genève, 1921); and especially for móina, ibidem 161, where Spitzer hesitatingly derives the Portug. word from Span. mohino.

94 Cf. on Galloromanic territory a similar semantic development: OProv. almornier ‘qui demande l'aumône’, OFr. aumosnier ‘mendiant’, Argot aumonier ‘escroc-voleur’ (FEW 3.212).

95 Here, too, Gallorom. offers parallels (FEW 3.211 sub: sekundäre bedeutung).

96 REW §2839. Nascentes s.v.; E. B. Williams, From Latin to Portuguese §§109.3, 115.3 (Philadelphia, 1938).

97 Meyer-Lübke, Das Katalanische §28 (Heidelberg, 1925).

98 Meyer-Lübke, loc.cit. Diccionari de la llengua catalana (Dicc. Salvat) [1911?] s.v. almoina. Atlas lingüistic de Catalunya, Map 423 caritat: point 38 (Fraga) almòine.

99 ALF Map 73 aumône. FEW 3.211 s.v. eleemosyna. A. Horning, Wandel von s vor Konsonant zu y in Frankreich, ZRPh. 23.413–14 (1899). J. Ronjat, Grammaire istorique des parlers provençaux modernes 2.193, 194 (Montpellier, 1932). G. Rohlfs, Le Gascon §377 (ZRPh., Bhft. 85; Halle, 1935).

100 Atlas lingüistic de Catalunya, loc.cit.: point 3 (Bosost) and point 4 (Viella). FEW 3.211. J. Condó, Vocabulari Aranès, BDC 3.19 (1915).