frusto

frusto¹ worn out, threadbare

Pronunciation

• /ˈfrus.to/^[1]

Forms

frusto (feminine frusta, masculine plural frusti, feminine plural fruste)^[1]

Etymology

The word for “worn out, threadbare” is from Italian frustare (“to wear out”): it is the contracted past participle of this old verb.^[2][3][4][5] That verb, still alive in the northern dialects, meant first “to nibble, chip away”, and comes from frusto² “piece”, from Latin frustum (“fragment, morsel”).^[3][2] Wiktionary instead takes the adjective from frustare (“to whip”), from frusta (“whip”), from Latin fūstis (“stick”).^[1]

The Italian word passed into French fruste and Spanish frustro.^[3][6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI dates the sense “worn, threadbare” to Aretino, 1524, who writes of a philosopher in toga frusta, “in a threadbare gown”.^[2][8] The TLIO, however, has an older adjective frusto in Piero Ubertino da Brescia, after 1361, meaning “in poor condition”, and in medicine “unable to work properly; sterile”.^[9][7]

Semantic evolution

In the 16th and 17th centuries frusto described worn clothes and old things, often doubled as frusto frusto “quite worn out”.^[8] Ariosto writes Sono le forze vostre ora sì fruste (“your strength is now so spent”).^[5][10] The figurative sense “trite, lacking originality” is recorded from Mamiani in 1864.^[2]

In medicine a disease or syndrome is frusta when its symptoms are mild or incomplete.^[4][11][10] French fruste is recorded from 1580, of a worn coin or medal, and in medicine from 1897.^[6]

Timeline

• After 1361 – Piero Ubertino da Brescia uses an adjective frusto “in poor condition”.^[9]
• 1524 – Aretino uses frusto “threadbare”.^[2][4]
• 1580 – French fruste is recorded, of a worn medal.^[6]
• 1864 – Mamiani uses it for “trite, unoriginal”.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of clothes, worn, threadbare: un cappotto frusto sulle maniche.^[4][11][12]
2. (figurative) Of a remark or story, trite, worn out by repetition: un'idea ormai frusta.^[4][11][12]
3. (medicine) Of a disease or syndrome, with mild or incomplete symptoms.^[4][11][10]

frusto² piece, morsel

Etymology tree of frusto²

inherited borrowed derived

Latin frustum

Italian frusto

Pronunciation

• /ˈfrus.to/^[1]

Forms

frusto m (plural frusti)^[1]

Etymology

The word for “piece, morsel” is inherited from Latin frustum (“piece, crumb”).^{[1][4][11][13]} Wiktionary treats it as inherited, while DEI, Zingarelli and the GDLI call it learned.^[1][7][5][8] The same word gave Old French frost.^[14][7]

De Vaan derives frustum from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrus-to- (“broken”), comparing Old English brȳsan (“to break, bruise”).^[15][1][16] Nocentini instead traces it to Proto-Indo-European *dʰwer- (“to break”), with Ancient Greek θραύω (thraúō, “to shatter”).^[3] DELI and Zingarelli call its origin uncertain.^[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is Dante's Commedia, before 1321: mendicando sua vita a frusto a frusto, “begging his life morsel by morsel”.^{[9][4][12][7]}

Semantic evolution

Later writers used it for a piece or fragment of anything: the Tuscan Palladio for a piece of root, Cavalca for a splinter of wood, and Segneri for scraps of bread.^[8][17] An old plural was fruste, feminine.^[8][5] The word is now obsolete.^[4][12]

Timeline

• Before 1321 – Dante writes a frusto a frusto.^[9][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. (obsolete) A small piece, morsel, scrap: a frusto a frusto, bit by bit.^{[4][11][12][5]}