ciccia

Forms

ciccia f (plural cicce)^[1]

Etymology

Its origin is disputed.^[2][3] According to Nocentini, Treccani and the GDLI it is inherited from Late Latin īsicia (“sausages”), the plural of īnsicium (“stuffing; sausage”), reshaped in children's speech or by a secondary onomatopoeic assimilation.^[2][4][5][1] The Latin noun comes from īnsecō (“to cut up”), from in- and secō (“to cut”), so that it first meant a cut piece, the same idea that Nocentini sees behind carō (“meat”).^[2][6][1] Caix had derived both this word and cicciolo from it, and salsiccia from a phrase with sāl (“salt”).^[7] Devoto starts from (sal)sicia, “seasoned with salt”, with the childish pronunciation of /s/ as /tʃ/.^[8]

DELI, Zingarelli and Sabatini–Coletti call it simply a children's word,^[3][9][10] and GRADIT a word of expressive origin, comparing the Latin noun.^[11] Battisti and Alessio and Prati compare other nursery words for meat, such as Neapolitan ciàccia and Spanish chicha.^[12][13] Wiktionary also mentions a syncope of carniccia.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is in Sacchetti's Florentine Rime, from the second half of the 14th century, in ciccia coderina, meat from a pig's thigh.^[14] DELI dates the word to Pulci, before 1484, with the senses “meat for eating” and “human flesh”.^[3]

Semantic evolution

Antonio Alamanni lists it with other nursery words: Chi chiede bombo, chi pappa e chi ciccia (“one asks for a drink, one for pap and one for meat”).^[5][15] Tommaseo notes that it was often opposed to bread or vegetables, and was said of a fat person or animal (tutto ciccia).^[15] Humorously it could mean food in general, as in voglia di ciccia, a craving for a big meal.^[5]

Derivatives include cicciolo, the pork scratching left after rendering lard (before 1597), cicciuto “plump” (1855) and ciccione “fat person” (1865).^[3] In recent Italian ciccia! is also an interjection meaning “nothing doing” or expressing disappointment.^[11][5][16]

Timeline

• 1350–1400 – Sacchetti uses ciccia coderina for pork from the thigh.^[14]
• Before 1484 – Pulci uses ciccia for meat and human flesh.^[3]
• Before 1597 – Cicciolo is first recorded.^[3]
• 1855 – Cicciuto is recorded.^[3]
• 1865 – Ciccione is recorded.^[3][2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (colloquial) meat, the flesh of a slaughtered animal; in children's speech, cooked meat.^{[11][16][10][4]}
2. (colloquial, humorous) Body fat, flab: mettere su ciccia, to put on weight.^{[11][16][10][9]}
3. (term of endearment) Sweetie, darling.^[1]

Interjection

1. (colloquial) No way!, nothing doing!; also expressing regret for a lost chance: «Mi presti la bici?» «Ciccia!»^[11][16][9]

Word family

• cicciolo
• ciccione
• cicciuto
• cicciotto
• ciccioso
• cicciume
• ciccialardone
• incicciare

Related words

• salsiccia
• Latin īnsicium

Usage notes

Essere pappa e ciccia means to be very close friends.^[11][9] An unrelated old ciccia was a South American beer made from fermented maize, from Spanish chicha.^[5][15]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
5. ^ 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
6. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
8. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
9. ^ a b c d Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
10. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
11. ^ a b c d e f De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
12. ^ Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 925
13. ^ Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti, p. 286
14. ^ a b Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
15. ^ a b c Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
16. ^ 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