Etymologically
Log in

gallinaio

History Permalink

Etymology and origin of the Italian word gallinaio

Confidence
Probable
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1639 before 1639, as gallinaro More words from the 17th century
Ultimate origin
Latin gallus
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin gallus
Italian gallo
Spanish gallo
Latin gallīna
Italian gallina
Italian gallinaio
Romanian găină
Spanish gallina
From the same root
Italian gallinaccio ← gallīna
Latin gallīnāceus ← gallīna
Romanian găinar ← gallīna

Forms

gallinaio m (plural gallinai)[1]

Etymology

Devoto–Oli and Sabatini–Coletti take it as formed from Italian gallina + -aio.[2][3][1] GRADIT, Treccani and the GDLI instead trace it to Latin gallīnārium (“henhouse”) and gallīnārius (“poultry keeper”), which the GDLI calls a learned borrowing, and Meyer-Lübke gives Vulgar Latin *gallinarium with the outcomes Spanish gallinero and Portuguese galinheiro.[4][5][6][7] Both Latin words are formed from gallīna (“hen”) and the suffix -ārius.[8][1] The Latin noun was first an adjective meaning “of the cock”, from gallus (“cock”).[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record, before 1639, is the old form gallinaro for a person who raises or sells poultry; the sense “henhouse” follows before 1656.[4][10]

Semantic evolution

Old texts also have a feminine gallinaia for the henhouse, and the form gallinaro still appears in Pasolini.[5][6] By extension the word could mean all the hens and other farmyard birds together.[6] On ships the gallinaio was the man in charge of the poultry kept for the ship's table.[6] Today it is an uncommon synonym of pollaio, also used for a noisy place.[4][3][11]

Timeline

  • Before 1639 – Gallinaro “poultry keeper” is recorded.[4]
  • Before 1656 – Gallinaio “henhouse” is recorded.[4][10]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (uncommon) A henhouse, pollaio: Le galline dormono nel gallinaio.[4][2][10]
  2. (figurative) A place full of noise and squabbling.[3][11]
  3. A person who raises or sells poultry; on a ship, the keeper of the poultry.[4][6]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b 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 Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  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 Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
  6. ^ 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, p. 6, 558
  7. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  8. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  9. ^ Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  10. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  11. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
Cite this entry

“Gallinaio.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/it/gallinaio. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·