-iccio

Forms

-iccio (adjective-forming suffix, feminine -iccia, masculine plural -icci, feminine plural -icce)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin -īcius, and it is a doublet of the borrowed -izio.^[1][2][3] Sabatini–Coletti sets the two apart: this is the popular form, with an expressive diminutive value that the learned suffix lacks.^[4]

In Latin the suffix first formed adjectives from past participles and was later added to nouns too.^[2] The OLD distinguishes -icius, forming adjectives from nouns for offices and relationships (as in tribunicius and patricius), from -īcius, forming them from past participles (as in commendaticius) or from names of materials (as in latericius).^[5] Wiktionary explains it as -īcus with -ius.^[1]

The diminutive and pejorative sense of Italian had few Latin models, such as cinericius (“ash-coloured”) and collecticius (“gathered together”).^[6] Most Latin adjectives with the suffix had a plain relational sense.^[6] The length of the Latin ⟨i⟩ varied.^[6] From the variant -itius come the learned suffix and regional -izzo.^[6] From the short-vowel forms, together with the suffix -iceus, comes -eccio.^[6]

Meanings

Suffix

1. Forms adjectives from other adjectives, especially of colour, expressing an approximate or impure quality: bianchiccio, gialliccio, rossiccio, molliccio.^[6][4][2][7]
2. Forms adjectives from past participles, expressing a lesser degree or imperfection, often pejoratively: malaticcio, bruciaticcio, imparaticcio, appiccicaticcio.^[6][4][2][1]
3. Found in some nouns with a limiting or slighting sense: chiacchiericcio, pasticcio, terriccio.^[6][3]

Word family

• malaticcio
• rossiccio
• bianchiccio
• molliccio
• alticcio
• bruciaticcio
• umidiccio
• terriccio
• chiacchiericcio

Related words

• -izio
• -eccio
• Latin -icius

Usage notes

-iccio is mostly an evaluative suffix: the derived adjective usually keeps the meaning of its base and adds a diminutive or pejorative shade.^[6][8][4]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
3. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
4. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
5. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
7. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
8. ^ Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier