coperchio

Forms

coperchio m (plural coperchi)^[1] The old variant Old Italian coverchio is found in Dante.^[2][3][4] Other Old Italian forms include coverclo, Old Italian covergio and Old Italian cuperchu.^[5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin coopĕrcŭlum (“lid”), through a Vulgar Latin *coperclum.^{[6][7][8][1][9]} The Latin noun is formed from cooperiō (“to cover completely”) with the instrument suffix -culum.^{[6][7][10][11][1]} The verb is made of co- and operiō (“to cover, close”), which also gave operculum (“lid”).^[11][12]

The same word is French couvercle and Occitan cobercle.^[7][13]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in Brunetto Latini's Tesoretto, before 1274, in the sense of a thing that closes or covers the mouth of a vessel or container.^[5][8][6]

Semantic evolution

Old Italian used the word for the lid of pots and chests, and in particular for the slab of a tomb: in Dante's Inferno the lids of the burning tombs are raised (Tutti li lor coperchi eran sospesi).^[5][14][15] By extension it was anything that covers or rises above, and even the shell of a tortoise.^[5] Dante's coperchio piloso al capo, a hairy cover to the head, is the hair of the crown.^[15]

Proverbs use the word: il diavolo fa le pentole ma non i coperchi, the devil teaches how to do wrong but not how to hide it, and il soverchio rompe il coperchio, too much does harm.^[2][3][16] Technical senses are the upper millstone with its hole for the grain and the top plate of a bowed instrument.^[8][16][3]

Timeline

• Before 1274 – Brunetto Latini's Tesoretto has the first record.^[5]
• Before 1321 – Dante uses coperchio and coverchio for the lids of tombs.^[15][4]
• Early 14th century – The verb coperchiare “to put a lid on” is recorded.^[7]
• 14th century – Scoperchiare “to take the lid off” is recorded.^[7]
• 1873 – Scoperchiatura is recorded.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. A lid or cover that closes the opening of a pot, jar, box or other container: sollevare il coperchio del tegame.^{[8][2][9][17]}
2. The upper millstone, with a hole through which the grain is fed.^[8][16]
3. (music) The top plate of the sound box of a bowed instrument.^[8][3]
4. (literary, figurative) Something that covers or hides.^[16][18]

Word family

• coperchiare
• scoperchiare
• scoperchiamento
• scoperchiatura
• coperchietto
• coperchino

Related words

• coprire
• coperta
• opercolo
• Latin cooperculum
• French couvercle

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c d Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
4. ^ a b Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti, p. 327
5. ^ a b c d e Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
6. ^ a b c Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
7. ^ a b c d e f Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
8. ^ a b c d e f De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
9. ^ a b Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
10. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
11. ^ a b Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
12. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
13. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
14. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 3
15. ^ a b c Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
16. ^ a b c d Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
17. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
18. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli