-eccio

Forms

-eccio (feminine -eccia, masculine plural -ecci, feminine plural -ecce)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin -icius, which in Latin first formed adjectives from nouns.^[1][2] Latin had two such suffixes, one with a short ⟨i⟩ (aedīlicius, patricius) and one with a long ⟨ī⟩ (latericius, novīcius).^[3] Italian -iccio, a far more common suffix, comes from the Latin suffix with long ⟨ī⟩.^[3][1] The learned form of the Latin suffix is -izio, its doublet.^[1]

The Latin suffix itself is formed from -icus and -ius.^[1]

Semantic evolution

In Italian -eccio forms adjectives of quality or character, often with a sense of approximation or coarseness, as in casereccio “home-made” and mangereccio “edible”.^[2] Treccani treats it under -iccio and -izio.^[4][5]

Meanings

Suffix

1. Forms adjectives of quality or character, often suggesting something rough or approximate: casereccio, mangereccio.^[2][1]

Word family

• casereccio
• mangereccio

Related words

• -iccio
• -izio
• Latin -icius

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
3. ^ a b Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
5. ^ Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)