macellaio

Forms

macellaio m (plural macellai, feminine macellaia)^[1] Old variants are Old Italian macellaro, Old Italian macelaio and Old Italian maxelari (plural).^[2] Macellaro is still the form of central Italy.^[3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin macellārius (“provision dealer”), from macellum (“provision market”) with the suffix -ārius.^{[5][6][7][8][1]} The Latin ending ⟨-ariu⟩ became ⟨-aio⟩ as is regular in Tuscan, while central dialects have ⟨-aro⟩.^[9][3] The GDLI calls the word learned.^[10] Outside Italy the Latin word survived in Old French maiselier and Old Occitan mazelier, and in Romanian măcelar.^[11][12][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is in Jacopone da Todi, from the last decade of the 13th century, for one who slaughters animals and cuts up the meat for sale.^[2] DELI first finds the form macellaro in a 14th-century Tuscan Livy, where Virginius snatches the knife from a butcher to kill his daughter.^[5][10]

Semantic evolution

The figurative sense “murderer” is already Old Italian.^[2] The form macellaio is first recorded in Citolini in 1540, and the sense “seller of meat” before 1673 in Rosa.^[5] Macelleria, the butcher's shop, dates from the 18th century.^[11] Tommaseo's dictionary (1869) has the sense of a clumsy surgeon; modern dictionaries add a commander who sends his soldiers to die without scruple, and in sports slang a footballer who fouls on purpose.^[5][7][3]

Timeline

• 1290s – Jacopone da Todi uses the word.^[2]
• 14th century – Macellaro in a Tuscan translation of Livy.^[5]
• 1540 – Macellaio in Citolini.^[5]
• Before 1673 – Rosa uses it for a seller of meat.^[5]
• 18th century – Macelleria is recorded.^[11]
• 1869 – The sense “clumsy surgeon” is recorded.^[5][13]

Meanings

Noun

1. One who slaughters animals raised for meat; a slaughterman.^[7][4][14]
2. A butcher: one who sells meat in a butcher's shop (macelleria): Passo dal macellaio a prendere due bistecche.^[7][3][13]
3. (figurative, derogatory) A clumsy surgeon.^[7][3][4]
4. (figurative, derogatory) A violent, bloodthirsty person; a commander who sacrifices his soldiers' lives without scruple.^[7][3][4]
5. (sports slang) A footballer who fouls deliberately.^[7][3]

Related words

• macello
• macellare
• macelleria
• beccaio
• Latin macellum
• Romanian măcelar

Usage notes

The feminine is macellaia.^[3][4] Beccaio is a synonym.^[13]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
3. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 c d e Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
6. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b c d e f g De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
8. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
9. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier, p. 265
10. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 9, 367
11. ^ a b c Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2299
12. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
13. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
14. ^ Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)