cazzo

Forms

cazzo m (plural cazzi, diminutive cazzétto or cazzettìno, pejorative cazzàccio, augmentative-derogatory cazzóne)^[1]

Etymology

The origin is uncertain, and the dictionaries weigh several proposals.^[2][3][4] Nocentini and the LEI follow Angelo Prati, who took it as from Old Italian cazza (“ladle, scoop”) turned masculine and used as an obscene metaphor.^[3][5] That word is Late Latin cattia, a ladle in the Latin glosses, adapted from Ancient Greek κυάθιον (kuáthion), the diminutive of κύαθος (kúathos, “ladle, cup”), and it also gave cazzuola.^[3][5][1] In its favour, the earliest form is feminine, the 14th century already uses the ladle word for the male member, and the image of a ladle or pestle worked inside a vessel recurs in many languages.^[6][3][7] Prati also pointed to other object names used for the member, such as pannocchia and verga.^[2]

DELI finds more convincing the view of Franco Crevatin (1977): a form ocazzo, from the dialect word oco (“gander”) with the suffix -azzo, whose article fused and was cut again, so that the gander word with the article was reanalysed as “lo cazzo”; in some dialects oca and the masculine do name the member.^[2][3][8] The LEI objects that the word for a gander is recorded only before 1492, nearly two centuries after the obscene word.^[5]

Other proposals have found little support.^[5] Alessio in DEI doubted any direct link with the ladle and suggested a sailors' metaphor from Ancient Greek ἀκάτιον (akátion, “mainmast”).^[9][1] Rohlfs proposed an Arabic source, on the model of tazza, which the LEI rejects on geographical grounds, and a derivation from the Latin verb behind cacciare is rejected for its meaning.^[5] Körting thought of Latin *catius, a side form of catus.^[10]

The word passed from northern Italy into French as Middle French cas in the 16th century, in Brantôme.^[9] It was borrowed as English catso (1602), for the member, as an oath and for a rogue.^[11]

Earliest recorded meaning

A nickname Medium Cazum is recorded at Arco near Trento in 1266.^[2] The Florentine poet Rustico Filippi uses the plural cazza before 1300, and the masculine cazzo, “penis”, is first found in the Sienese poet Meo dei Tolomei before 1310.^[2][7][4]

Semantic evolution

Though banned from polite conversation, the word has always been very much alive.^[2] Already in the 16th century it was applied to a foolish man: Machiavelli complains that Ariosto left him out of his list of poets “like a cazzo”.^[12][13] It is also an exclamation of surprise, anger or impatience, recorded from 1582.^[11][12] The negative use un cazzo “nothing at all” is dated 1972, and the plural cazzi “one's own business”, as in sono cazzi miei, is modern.^[11][12][4]

Many derivatives are 20th-century: incazzarsi “to get angry” (1908), cazzata “nonsense” (1964), cazzone “idiot” (1972) and cazzuto (1988); cazzotto “punch” goes back to the 17th century, by a change of meaning that is not clear.^[3] In speech the word is often replaced by euphemisms such as cavolo, cacchio and caspita.^[14][6] Esperanto borrowed it as kaco.^[1]

Timeline

• 1266 – The nickname Medium Cazum is recorded at Arco (Trentino).^[2]
• Before 1300 – Rustico Filippi uses the plural cazza.^[2]
• Before 1310 – Meo dei Tolomei uses cazzo.^[2][4]
• 1582 – The interjection is first recorded.^[11]
• 1602 – English catso is first recorded.^[11]
• 1908 – Incazzarsi is first recorded.^[3]
• 1972 – Un cazzo “nothing” is recorded.^[11]

Meanings

Noun

1. (vulgar) penis.^[4][15][16]
2. (vulgar, in negative sentences) Nothing at all: Con questa nebbia non vedo un cazzo.^[4][8][1]
3. (vulgar, in the plural with a possessive) One's own business or problems: sono cazzi tuoi.^[4][16][1]
4. (vulgar) A stupid man.^[4][13]

Interjection

1. (vulgar) Expressing surprise, anger or impatience: Cazzo, ho perso il treno!^[4][15][1]
2. (vulgar) As an intensifier in questions: Dove cazzo hai messo le chiavi?^[4][8]

Word family

• cazzata
• cazzone
• cazzotto
• cazzottare
• scazzottare
• cazzuto
• incazzarsi
• incazzatura
• scazzare
• cazzeggiare
• cacacazzo

Related words

• cazza
• cazzuola
• caspita

Usage notes

Set phrases include testa di cazzo “dickhead”, del cazzo “worthless”, a cazzo “carelessly”, grazie al cazzo “obviously” and stare sul cazzo “to be unbearable” (to someone).^[4][15][17]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 f g Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b c d e Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 13, 1
6. ^ a b Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti, p. 261
7. ^ a b Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
8. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
9. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 833
10. ^ Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
11. ^ 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
12. ^ a b c Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
13. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
14. ^ Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
15. ^ 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
16. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
17. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli