latrina

Forms

latrina f (plural latrine)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin lātrīna (“privy; washing place”), a learned word.^[2][3][4] The Latin word is a contraction of lavātrīna (“washing place, bathroom”), formed on lavō (“to wash”) with the place-noun suffix -trīna, as in Latin tōnstrīna (“barber's shop”).^[5][1][6][7]

The full form survives in Corsican vedrina (“privy”), and the short one in Logudorese ladrinu (“puddle”).^[4][8][9] French has latrines, in the plural, from the 14th century.^[7][4] De Vaan traces lavō to Proto-Indo-European *(le-)louh₃- (“to wash”), the root also of Ancient Greek λούω (loúō, “I wash”).^[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is in Andrea da Grosseto's translation of 1268, of a room for bodily needs.^[11] DELI dates the word to the 14th-century Scala del Paradiso, in which a monk goes into the latrine to pray.^[6][3]

Semantic evolution

The older form laterina is in Malispini and in Boccaccio, who plays on it as the name of the Tuscan castle of Laterina.^[4][12][8] Old Italian already used the word figuratively for a filthy place, morally as well, and for a henchman who does vile deeds for a powerful man.^[11] Later writers also used it for a sewer or cloaca.^[8][3]

Today it means above all public toilets, or those of barracks, schools and stations;^[13][14] Devoto–Oli notes that it has fallen in register beside gabinetto and toilette.^[13][14] Figuratively it is a filthy place, or a vile person.^[15][13]

Timeline

• 1268 – Andrea da Grosseto uses the word.^[11]
• 13th–14th century – The form laterina is in Malispini and Boccaccio.^[4][8]
• 14th century – The Scala del Paradiso has latrine.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. A latrine, toilet: a room with sanitary fittings, especially a public one: Le latrine del campo erano in fondo al cortile.^[15][14][16]
2. (by extension) A filthy, disgusting place.^[15][16][17]
3. (figurative) A vile, contemptible person.^[15][13]

Word family

• latrinaio

Related words

• lavare
• lavatoio
• Latin latrina

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
3. ^ a b c Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 8, 822
4. ^ a b c d e Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2178
5. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
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 Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
8. ^ a b c d Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti
9. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
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 Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
12. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
13. ^ 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)
14. ^ 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
15. ^ a b c d De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
16. ^ a b Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
17. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana