cece

Forms

cece m (plural ceci)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin cicer (“chickpea”), recorded in Latin from Plautus on.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} According to the LEI the Italian type ⟨cece⟩ comes through a form Vulgar Latin *cicem, beside Vegliote ćíć and Old Occitan ceze;^[5][7] Meyer-Lübke derives it straight from the neuter, while Rohlfs supposes a spoken nominative *cicis remade on the genitive ⟨ciceris⟩ after cinis, genitive ⟨cineris⟩, and a Medieval Latin plural ⟨cici⟩ from Lucca in 804 supports him.^[5][7] A masculine *cicerem gave southern Neapolitan cecere, Aromanian ţeaţire, Campidanese Sardinian ⟨ćížiri⟩, Spanish chícharo and Portuguese chícharo “pea”;^[5][3][7] French chiche is of indirect transmission.^[5][3][7] The LEI compares the split pepe / ⟨pévere⟩.^[5] The word was also borrowed into Albanian qiqër, Berber and German Kicher(erbse).^[5][8]

The origin of the Latin word is unknown.^[3][2] It recalls Old Armenian սիսեռն (siseṙn, “chickpea”) and Old Prussian keckers (“pea”), but the consonants do not match, and Nocentini thinks of a travelling word whose starting point is unknown;^[3][2][9][1] DELI suggests a borrowing.^[3][2][9][1] De Vaan adds Ancient Macedonian κίκερροι (kíkerroi, “chickpea”) (Hesychius) and Albanian thjer (“lentil”): Latin and Albanian might share a preform, perhaps from a root “to feed”, but the Armenian word points rather to a loan from an unknown source.^[10] Wiktionary's Italian entry gives Proto-Indo-European *ḱiḱer- (“pea”), its Latin entry a wanderword.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI dates the word to 1233, in the account book of Matasalà, as the name of the plant with edible seeds.^[2] The TLIO's first record is in Restoro d'Arezzo, 1282;^[11][3] Old Italian forms include cece, ceci, cieci and cici.^[11][3]

Semantic evolution

Old Italian already used the chickpea figuratively for something small and worthless.^[11] Boccaccio describes i ritondi ceci among the crops in his Ameto, and Palladio in the vernacular gives advice on sowing them.^[6][5] By the late 17th century Francesco Redi used cece for a small fleshy growth shaped like the seed (before 1698), and swans' beak knobs were called the same.^[2][12]

In Tuscany the word took the sense of a lively little child or a dandy, un bel cece;^[12][8][13] DEI treats this as a separate word, either the same cece or an expressive coinage.^[12][8][13] The Tuscan and Roman form cecio is rebuilt from the plural ceci, as cacio from caci.^[6][14]

Timeline

• 1233 – Matasalà's account book has the first record.^[2]
• 1282 – Restoro d'Arezzo uses ceci.^[11][3]
• 1293 – Florentine cieci is recorded.^[5]
• 1341–1342 – Boccaccio's Ameto has cece.^[5]
• Before 1698 – Francesco Redi uses cece for a small fleshy growth.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. The chickpea, the round edible seed, usually dried: zuppa di ceci.^[4][15][16]
2. (botany) The plant Cicer arietinum, a legume grown for its seeds; with a capital, its genus.^[4][15][14]
3. (figurative) A small, round, fleshy growth, as on the nose; the knob on a swan's beak.^[4][15][17]
4. (figurative, Tuscan) A lively little child, a rascal; ironically, a vain young dandy, a damerino: un bel cece, an odd sort.^[4][15][16]
5. (botany) Cece di terra, the peanut, arachide.^[4][15][12]

Word family

• cecina
• cecino

Related words

• Latin cicer
• French chiche

Usage notes

Fixed phrases include non saper tenere un cece in bocca, to be unable to keep a secret, and avere il cece nell'orecchio, to be deaf or pretend not to hear.^[15][12][18] Pasta e ceci is a common dish.^[4][16]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 h i Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ a b c d e f g De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it
6. ^ a b c Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
7. ^ a b c d Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
8. ^ a b c Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 834
9. ^ a b Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
10. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
11. ^ a b c d Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
12. ^ 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)
13. ^ a b Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti, p. 262
14. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
15. ^ a b c d e f 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 Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
17. ^ Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
18. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli