capisteo

Forms

capisteo m (plural capistei)^[1] Old and Tuscan forms include capisteio, capistero, capisterio and capestero.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin capisterium (“a vessel for cleaning grain”), used by Columella.^[5][6][1] The Latin word is from Ancient Greek σκαφιστήριον (skaphistḗrion), from σκάφη (skáphē, “basin”), with the initial cluster reduced and the form drawn towards capiō (“to take”).^[5][4][7] The ending shows the Tuscan change of the Latin ending ⟨-erium⟩ to ⟨-eo⟩.^[7]

The LEI finds the inherited word only in central Italy, with offshoots in Lazio and the Abruzzi, in Sardinian and in Romanian căpistere (“kneading trough”).^[5][8] DEI cites capestiere of Velletri and Umbrian capistlo.^[8] A learned capisterio of the 14th and 16th centuries is a Latinism.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in Sienese statutes of 1301–1303, for a wooden tool used to winnow grain.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Domenico Cavalca's lives of the Fathers tell how the young Saint Benedict mended a broken capisterio that his nurse had borrowed to clean grain.^[9] It was also a tray carried on the head and a tub for washing clothes.^[10][11] The word lives on in the dialects of Tuscany.^[5][4]

Timeline

• 1301–1303 – Sienese statutes record the word.^[2]
• Before 1342 – GRADIT's date, from Cavalca.^[6][9]
• Before 1537 – Biringuccio has capisteio.^[5][10]

Meanings

Noun

1. (regional, Tuscany) A large rectangular wooden tray, used mainly to winnow and clean grain, and for other household uses.^[6][4][11]

Related words

• scafo
• Latin capisterium

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
3. ^ Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
4. ^ a b c d Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
5. ^ a b c d e f Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it
6. ^ a b c De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
7. ^ a b Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
8. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 734
9. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 2, 686
10. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
11. ^ a b Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)