bracciale

Forms

bracciale m (plural bracciali)^[1] Old forms include braçale, braçagl and brazali.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin bracchiāle (“bracelet, armlet”), the neuter of the adjective bracchiālis (“of the arm”) used as a noun, from bracchium (“arm”).^{[3][4][5][6][7]} Sabatini calls it the popular form beside the learned brachiale.^[4][8] Wiktionary, Devoto–Oli and Treccani analyse it instead as from Italian braccio + -ale, comparing the Latin noun.^[1][9][10]

The Latin adjective is recorded from Plautus, and the noun in the sense “bracelet” from Pliny; the grammarian Priscian treated this sense as a new one.^[7][11] Isidore also used the word for a belt.^[12]

According to the LEI the adjective survives only in Portuguese and Old Salentine, while the noun spread with the medieval sense of an arm guard.^[7] It is Romanian brățară and Old French braciel, and in the sense of armour Old Occitan braçal, Catalan braçal, Spanish brazal and Portuguese braçal.^[13][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is the Tuscan translation of Marco Polo's Milione, at the beginning of the 14th century, for an ornamental ring worn on the arms or legs;^[2][14] DELI too gives the sense “heavy bracelet” there.^[2][14]

Semantic evolution

The armour sense is recorded at Chieri in Piedmont in 1321 (braçagl) and in Boccaccio about 1336, who arms a knight's arms “with fine bracciali”.^[14][7][15] Old Italian also used the word for a handcuff and for an armrest.^[2] In the 15th century the Canti carnascialeschi name the wooden sleeve worn on the forearm in the ball game later called pallone a bracciale.^[14][15]

An armband worn as a badge is recorded in Venetian in 1424 and in Florio's dictionary in 1598, and Panzini recorded it in 1907.^[7][14] The strap that holds a watch on the wrist appears in Prati in 1952, who notes that in Rome bracciale meant a bracelet.^[14][16] In the bracelet sense Treccani's Vocabolario labels it old and regional, the usual word being the diminutive braccialetto.^[10]

The armour sense passed into French as brassal (1546), later brassard, which also took the ball-game sense (1680) and that of a military armband (1845).^[17][11] English had brachal for the armour (1658) and for the ball-game sleeve (1817).^[17]

Timeline

• Early 14th century – The Tuscan Milione uses bracciale for a bracelet.^[2][14]
• 1321 – Braçagl “arm guards” is recorded at Chieri.^[7][14]
• About 1336 – Boccaccio uses the armour sense.^[14][3]
• 15th century – The Canti carnascialeschi name the wooden sleeve of the ball game.^[14][17]
• 1546 – French brassal is recorded.^[17]
• 1598 – Florio records the armband.^[7]
• 1658 – English brachal is recorded.^[17]
• 1907 – Panzini records the armband worn as a badge.^[14]
• 1952 – Prati records the watch strap.^[14]

Meanings

Noun

1. A bracelet worn on the wrist;^[3][9][18] bracciale elettronico is the electronic tag worn by a person under house arrest.^[3][9][18]
2. An armband worn on the sleeve as a badge of a service or association: il bracciale della Protezione civile.^[3][9][10]
3. An inflatable armband for learners in swimming.^[3][9][18]
4. (sport) In pallone a bracciale, the spiked wooden sleeve into which the player puts his forearm.^[3][9][10]
5. (architecture) An ornamental ring of wrought iron or bronze set in the façades of Renaissance palaces.^[3][9][18]
6. (uncommon) An armrest.^[3][18]
7. A curtain tieback of two lengths of cord joined by a tassel.^[3][9][10]
8. (history) The piece of medieval armour that protected the arm.^[3][9][10]

Word family

• braccialetto
• braccialino

Related words

• braccio
• brachiale
• bracciolo
• French brassard

Usage notes

DEI lists a separate bracciale “day labourer” in Tuscany and the south, with Tarantino bracciale and Calabrian vrazzale;^[11][14] DELI treats this old sense, the same as bracciante, under this word.^[11][14]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
4. ^ a b Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
5. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
6. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b c d e f g h Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 6, 1698
8. ^ Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
10. ^ a b c d e f Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
11. ^ a b c d Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 581
12. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 2, 340
13. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
15. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
16. ^ Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti, p. 170
17. ^ a b c d e Stammerjohann, Harro, et al. (2008), Dizionario di italianismi in francese, inglese, tedesco, Firenze: Accademia della Crusca; online at difit.italianisticaonline.it
18. ^ a b c d e Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli