-uccio

Forms

-uccio m (noun-forming suffix, plural -ucci, feminine -uccia, feminine plural -ucce)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin -ūceus, a Latin suffix.^{[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]} Zingarelli calls it a rare adjectival suffix, made up of two old elements, ⟨-k-⟩ and ⟨-eo-⟩.^[5] Sabatini–Coletti and Treccani explain the suffix as the Tuscan outcome of the Latin ending, beside -uzzo, the form of the northern and southern dialects.^[4][9]

Wiktionary gives another source: -ucculus, from the Latin diminutive suffix -culus.^[1] It compares Sicilian -uzzu and Romanian -uț.^[1]

Semantic evolution

The suffix is productive with nouns, adjectives and even adverbs (caffeuccio, calduccio, maluccio).^[8] Its tone can be affectionate (tesoruccio, boccuccia) but is more often disparaging: gentuccia is “petty people”, robuccia “shoddy stuff”, and borghesuccio and impiegatuccio belittle a bourgeois and a clerk.^[2][3][5][6] In some words the diminutive value has faded wholly or in part, as in cannuccia and quartuccio.^[8] It is also added to first names, as in Mariuccio.^[8]

In familiar speech uccio is used on its own as an adjective meaning “poor, shabby”, usually repeated after a word already formed with the suffix: un affaruccio uccio uccio.^[3][6][8]

Meanings

Suffix

1. Forms diminutives of nouns and adjectives, with an endearing tone: tesoruccio, boccuccia, calduccio, casuccia.^{[2][3][4][5][8][1]}
2. Forms diminutives with a pejorative or patronizing tone: gentuccia, lavoruccio, borghesuccio, impiegatuccio.^{[2][3][4][5][6][1]}

Word family

• tesoruccio
• boccuccia
• calduccio
• casuccia
• deboluccio
• cavalluccio
• femminuccia
• cannuccia
• gentuccia
• borghesuccio

Related words

• -uzzo

Usage notes

-uzzo is the regional variant of the suffix, kept in words such as pietruzza and pagliuzza.^[9][4] As an adjective, uccio is colloquial.^[3][8]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
3. ^ a b c d e f Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
4. ^ a b c d e Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
5. ^ a b c d e Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
6. ^ a b c d Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
7. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
8. ^ a b c d e f g De Mauro, Tullio, Il Nuovo De Mauro, online ed., dizionario.internazionale.it
9. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana