calza

Forms

calza f (plural calze)^[1] Old Italian forms include calça, calce, calse and chalze.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Medieval Latin calcea, a feminine of Latin calceus (“shoe, half-boot”), which comes from calx (“heel”).^{[3][4][5][6][1]} Nocentini gives the Vulgar Latin form as *calcia.^[7] The feminine is first found in Theodulf of Orléans, about 800, for a garment of the leg, probably with augmentative value.^[8][1][9] DEI and Devoto point out that the ⟨z⟩ of the Italian word, where ⟨ci⟩ would be expected, shows a northern origin, as does the old spelling ⟨calsa⟩.^[10][11]

The same word is Old French chausse, Occitan causa, Catalan calsa, Spanish calza and Portuguese calça.^[7][9][12] DEI notes that it is found across the Romance languages except Romanian.^[10]

The origin of the Latin word for the heel is unclear: a link with Baltic and Slavic words for parts of the leg is doubtful, and some scholars have proposed a non-Indo-European, perhaps Etruscan, source.^[13]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is a Savona document of 1178–1182, the Dichiarazione di Paxia, with the plural calce.^[2][3][7] The word then meant a close-fitting garment, usually of cloth, that covered each leg completely in place of trousers.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

According to the LEI, the Romans at first had only a loincloth, and breeches and leg coverings came to Rome from the Gauls and Germanic peoples.^[8][10] In the Middle Ages calze were leg coverings that wrapped the foot and part or all of the leg, like trousers, and this sense lasted until the 17th century.^[8][3] The word was also used for footwear, from D. Cavalca before 1342 until the 15th century.^[3][2]

The modern sense, a knitted garment covering the foot and part of the leg, is recorded in 1561, in A. Citolini.^[3] In the 18th century Muratori observed that Latin calceus had meant a shoe, and that Italian had moved the word from the feet to the legs.^[14] Greek and Arabic borrowed the Italian word.^[1]

Timeline

• c. 800 – Theodulf of Orléans uses Medieval Latin calcea for a leg garment.^[8]
• 1178–1182 – The plural calce appears in a Savona document.^[2][3]
• 1262–1275 – Chalze appears in the account book of Bene Bencivenni.^[3]
• Before 1342 – D. Cavalca uses the word for footwear.^[3]
• Before 1370 – The diminutive calzetta appears in Antonio da Ferrara.^[3]
• 1561 – A. Citolini uses calza for a knitted stocking.^[3]
• 17th century – The sense “leg garment worn in place of trousers” goes out of use.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A sock or stocking: a close-fitting garment, usually knitted, covering the foot and part of the leg, often in the plural: calze bucate.^[4][15] By extension, tights.^{[4][15][16][1]}
2. A tubular covering of cloth or knitted fabric for pipes and other objects.^[4][15][16]
3. (electricity) The braided metal shielding of a flexible cable.^[15][5][6]
4. (zoology) The feathers covering the feet of some breeds of chicken.^[4][15][6]
5. A cloth bag for straining wine, broth or sauces.^[4][15][6]
6. (uncommon) The wick of an oil or paraffin lamp.^[4][15][16]
7. (uncommon) The metal tip of a stick, a gorbia.^[4][15][16]
8. (historical, chiefly plural) Close-fitting leg coverings, usually of cloth, worn in place of trousers.^[4][5][17]

Word family

• calzetta
• calzino
• calzone
• calzettone
• calzerotto
• calzettaio
• calzetteria
• calzificio
• calzamaglia

Related words

• calzare
• calcare
• calcagno
• calzolaio
• scalzare
• Latin calceus
• French chausse

Usage notes

Fare la calza means to knit, and figuratively to keep to housework.^[15][5][6] The calza della Befana is the stocking children hang by the fireplace on the eve of Epiphany to be filled with presents.^[15][5][18] Ferri da calza are knitting needles.^[15][5]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f 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 l Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
5. ^ a b c d e f Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
6. ^ a b c d e Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
7. ^ a b c Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
8. ^ a b c d Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 9, 1091
9. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
10. ^ a b c Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 695
11. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier, p. 76
12. ^ Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
13. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
14. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 2, 562
15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
16. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
17. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
18. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana