calamaro

Forms

calamaro m (plural calamari)^[1] Older forms are Old Italian calamaia (1305–1306) and calamaio, which older writers also used for the animal.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is from Italian calamaio (“inkwell”), from the phrase pesce calamaio (“inkwell fish”): the animal is named for the black fluid it releases when in danger.^[2][4][5] This is the non-Tuscan form of that word, perhaps southern, which won out only recently, keeping the mollusc apart from the inkwell.^[2][4][1] Devoto, Devoto–Oli and Sabatini–Coletti point to the central and southern treatment of the Latin suffix -ārium as ⟨-aro⟩.^[6][7][8]

The word for “inkwell” continues Late Latin calamārium, from Latin calamus (“reed, writing pen”).^[2][4] The Latin adjective calamārius meant “for holding pens”.^[9] The change from pen case to inkwell was already made in Byzantine Greek καλαμάριον (kalamárion) in the 4th century.^[9][10] The Latin noun is from Ancient Greek κάλαμος (kálamos).^[9][1][4] DEI notes that the Greek word is first recorded as a fish name in the 10th-century Geoponica, as a synonym of τευθίς (teuthís).^[11] Etymonline adds the pen-shaped inner shell to the ink as a reason for the name.^[12]

The Italian word was borrowed into Sicilian calamaru and Catalan calamar.^[1] It reached Spanish calamar through Catalan according to Wiktionary, directly according to Meyer-Lübke.^[1][13] French calmar, recorded from 1552 as calemar, is from Italian according to DEI.^[11] The TLF leaves open a derivation from French calmar (“pen case”).^[11][14] English calamari is the Italian plural.^[12][14]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is the feminine calamaia in Giordano da Pisa's Lent sermons of 1305–1306.^[2][5] Giordano lists the squid among the unclean fish, those without scales: come il polpo, il calamaio e molti altri (like the octopus, the squid and many others).^[3]

Semantic evolution

Mattioli, before 1577, has the plural calamari, and he compares another animal full of black fluid to i calamari e le seppie.^[2][3] The singular calamaro is recorded in 1745, and the diminutive calamaretto in D'Alberti in 1797.^[2] Sassetti and Bellini still call the animal calamaio.^[3]

The plural is also used for dark rings under the eyes from tiredness or illness: Casti writes of grossi calamari continuamente agli occhi (large dark rings always under the eyes).^[3][15] Similar dialect words for deep shadows under the eyes are found in Piedmont, Venice and Lombardy.^[13]

English has calamari for squid as food.^[12][14] Etymonline dates it to the 1560s, DIFIT, following the OED, to 1826.^[12][14]

Timeline

• 1305–1306 – Giordano da Pisa uses calamaia for the mollusc.^[2]
• Before 1577 – Mattioli uses the plural calamari.^[2]
• 1552 – French calemar is recorded.^[14]
• 1560s – English calamari, according to Etymonline.^[12]
• 1745 – The singular calamaro is recorded.^[2]
• 1797 – D'Alberti records calamaretto.^[2]
• 1826 – English calamari, according to the OED.^[14]

Meanings

Noun

1. (zoology) A squid, especially the common European squid (Loligo vulgaris), an edible cephalopod with a long body, two side fins and ten suckered tentacles: calamari fritti.^{[5][7][15][1]}
2. (colloquial, usually plural) Dark rings under the eyes from tiredness or illness: Dopo gli esami aveva due calamari sotto gli occhi.^[5][7][8]

Word family

• calamaretto

Related words

• calamaio
• calamo
• Latin calamus
• Spanish calamar

Usage notes

Calamaro is also a rare variant of calamaio “inkwell”, the older sense of the word.^[5][15][16] Barberino uses it: La penna e 'l calamaro / non ti dea disdegnare (do not scorn pen and inkwell).^[17] The LEI records calamaro “inkwell” across northern Italy, Tuscany and Sicily from the early 14th century.^[10]

The noun is masculine for both sexes; the sex is shown by adding femmina or maschio.^[8]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
3. ^ a b c d e Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
4. ^ a b c d Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
5. ^ a b c d e De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
6. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b c Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
8. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
9. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
10. ^ a b Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 9, 740
11. ^ a b c Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 666
12. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
13. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
14. ^ a b c d e f Stammerjohann, Harro, et al. (2008), Dizionario di italianismi in francese, inglese, tedesco, Firenze: Accademia della Crusca; online at difit.italianisticaonline.it
15. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
16. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
17. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET