lattaio

Forms

lattaio m (plural lattai, feminine lattaia)^[1]

Etymology

It is from Italian latte (“milk”) + -aio, and GDLI compares French laitier and Spanish lechero.^[2][3][4][5] GRADIT also points to the noun Latin lactārius.^[2] Treccani, Wiktionary and Devoto take the noun directly from that word in Late Latin.^[6][1][7]

The adjective “giving milk” is a learned word from the Latin adjective of the same form, “of milk”, according to DEI, Devoto–Oli, Zingarelli, GDLI and Wiktionary.^[8][4][9][1] The Latin word is formed from lac (“milk”) with the suffix -ārius.^[10][1][11]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is the form lattaro in Oudin's dictionary of 1640.^[12][2] D'Alberti's dictionary of 1803 has lattaio “seller of milk” and marks it as a word of current use.^[12][3]

Semantic evolution

The lattaio was a seller of milk, and in the cities he kept a shop for cow's milk, butter, cream and whey, as Carena described it.^[12][5] He also delivered milk to the door: Pirandello mentions the rattle of a milkman's cart in the early morning.^[2][5]

The adjective, recorded from the 18th century, describes animals that give milk, as in vacche lattaie “dairy cows”, and also a wet nurse with plenty of milk.^[2][4][5]

Timeline

• 1640 – Oudin records lattaro “milkman”.^[12][2]
• 1759 – The adjective “giving milk” is first recorded.^[2]
• 1803 – D'Alberti records lattaio as a word of current use.^[12]

Meanings

Noun

1. A milkman: a person who sells milk and dairy products such as cream and butter.^[2][4][3][6]
2. A person who delivers milk to people's homes.^[2][3][6]

Adjective

1. Of an animal, milch, giving milk: una capra lattaia.^[2][4][9][6]

Related words

• latte
• Latin lactarius

Usage notes

An older lattaio, recorded from 1825 or before 1859 and now disused, means a tinsmith; it is formed from latta “tinplate” with the suffix -aio.^[2][8][9][5]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
3. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
4. ^ a b c d e Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
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, p. 8, 824
6. ^ 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)
7. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
8. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2178
9. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
10. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
11. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
12. ^ a b c d e Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli