lebbra

Forms

lebbra f (plural lebbre)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin lepra (“leprosy”), which reached Tuscan through the northern dialects: the /b/ for Latin /p/ is a northern feature.^[2][3][4] The forms with /p/, such as old lepra, are learned.^[2] Devoto saw instead a crossing with labbra (“lips”).^[5]

The Latin noun is from Ancient Greek λέπρα (lépra, “scale; leprosy”).^[6][1][2] The Greek noun comes from λέπω (lépō, “to peel, strip off the skin”), a verb that has no clear relatives in the other Indo-European languages.^[2][7][8]

Old Genoese levere and Friulian levri show the same popular treatment.^[3][9] French lèpre, Spanish lepra and Portuguese lepra are learned.^[7][3] In early northern Italian the word was replaced by the type lebbrosia.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is the Roman Storie de Troia e de Roma of 1252–1258, in the sense of the infectious disease that deforms the skin with sores and whitish patches.^[10] DELI cites Frate Gidio and Bono Giamboni in the 13th century.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Old forms include lebra, lebre, levra and lepra;^[10][11][12] lebra survives as a literary variant.^[10][11][12] Domenico Cavalca used lebbra before 1342 for moral evil or shame, a sense that is still alive (la lebbra della corruzione).^[2][8]

In the 19th century the word was applied to diseases of plants caused by fungi, such as the lebbra dell'olivo and del pesco.^[2][12] Later it came to mean the decay that eats away buildings and statues.^[8][11] The disease, caused by Hansen's bacillus, gives the similes evitare qualcuno come la lebbra and temere qualcosa come la lebbra.^[12][4]

The adjective lebbroso comes from Late Latin leprōsus: leprosi appears in the 13th-century Proverbia, and lebbroso in Dante.^[2][7] Lebbrosario, a hospital for lepers, replaced leprosario in the early 20th century.^[2][13]

Timeline

• 1252–1258 – The Storie de Troia e de Roma use the word.^[10]
• 13th century – Frate Gidio and Bono Giamboni use lebbra.^[2]
• 1300–1313 – Dante uses lebbroso.^[2]
• Before 1342 – Domenico Cavalca uses it for moral evil.^[2]
• 19th century – It names diseases of plants.^[2][3]
• 1895 – Leprosario is recorded.^[2][7]
• 1908 – Lebbrosario is recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (medicine) leprosy, Hansen's disease: a chronic infectious disease caused by a bacillus, which affects the skin and the nerves with nodules and ulcers.^{[8][11][14][1]}
2. (botany) Any of several plant diseases caused by parasitic fungi, often with tumours.^[8][11][4]
3. (by extension) The decay that eats away buildings, monuments and statues.^[8][11][4]
4. (figurative) A deep-rooted moral or social evil: la lebbra dell'invidia.^[8][11][14]

Word family

• lebbroso
• lebbrosario
• lebbrosia

Related words

• Latin lepra
• Ancient Greek λέπρα (lépra)
• French lèpre

Usage notes

Lebbra is pronounced with an open or a closed /e/.^[1][14] Evitare or fuggire qualcuno come la lebbra means to shun someone completely.^[12][8] A regional lebbra, a fine biting breeze, is recorded by Nieri and is of unknown origin.^[15]

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 l m n o Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
3. ^ a b c d e Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2189
4. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
5. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
6. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b c d Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
8. ^ a b c d e f g h De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
9. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
10. ^ a b c d Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
11. ^ a b c d e f g Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
12. ^ a b c d e Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
13. ^ Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti, p. 582
14. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
15. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 8, 873