lavamano

Forms

lavamano m (invariable)^[1]

Etymology

It is a compound from Italian lava- (“wash”) + mano (“hand”), of the verb-object type.^{[2][3][4][5][1]} The same compound appears in Late Latin glosses as labamanos, and Wiktionary takes the Italian word to be inherited from it.^[6][7][1] DEI compares French lave-mains, recorded in 1471, and Spanish lavamanos.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI and GRADIT date the word to 1525, in Giorgio Vasari, in the sense “washbasin”;^[8][2][5] Zingarelli has an earlier date, before 1502.^[8][2][5] Vasari's Lives mention a painting of Christ asking the Samaritan woman for a drink, placed above a lavamani in an abbey;^[9] Tommaseo explains the word there as the basin of a sacristy or refectory.^[9]

Semantic evolution

In 1688 the notes to the Malmantile use lavamane for a stand, usually of iron, holding a basin for washing.^[8] Tommaseo describes it as a wooden or iron stand of three uprights ending in a ring for the basin.^[9] In the early 20th century the name also covered a piece of furniture with a marble top for the basins and toilet articles.^[7] With running water the object went out of use, and the word is now also used for a washbasin or sink.^[2][3]

Timeline

• 1525 – Giorgio Vasari uses lavamano “washbasin”.^[8][2]
• 1688 – The notes to the Malmantile use lavamane for a stand holding a basin.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. A washstand: a ceramic or metal basin on a stand, usually a tripod, with a jug of water, formerly used for washing the hands and face.^{[2][3][4][5][1]}
2. A washbasin, sink.^[2]

Related words

• lavabo
• lavandino
• lavare
• mano

Usage notes

The noun is invariable;^{[3][7][10][9]} lavamani is a less common variant and lavamane an old one.^{[3][7][10][9]}

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
5. ^ a b c d Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
6. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2186
7. ^ 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)
8. ^ 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
9. ^ a b c d e Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
10. ^ a b Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli