mastruca

Forms

mastruca f (plural mastruche)^[1] A variant is mastrucca, in Oudin in the 17th century.^[2][3][1]

Etymology

It is learned: it is borrowed from Latin mastrūca (“sheepskin coat”).^{[4][2][5][6][1]} The Latin word also appears as manstrūca.^[7] Both the garment and the word came to Rome from Sardinia, as Quintilian already noted.^[2][7][8]

Its earlier source is uncertain.^[8][1] Nocentini calls it a Punic word brought from Sardinia, and the Italian Wiktionary a probably Phoenician one;^[8][9] DEI and Treccani call it paleo-Sardinian, Wiktionary Nuragic, Zingarelli pre-Indo-European and Devoto–Oli pre-Latin.^{[2][10][1][4][3]} The word lives on in Sardinian mastrucca and Sardinian mastruca.^[1][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Zingarelli dates the first record to 1483.^[4] DEI and GRADIT give Garzoni, before 1585, for the fur garment of the ancient Sardinians, also worn in Sicily and Africa.^[2][5]

Semantic evolution

Oudin's 17th-century dictionary glosses mastrucca as a cassock of wolfskin or another hide worn with the hair outside, and another early dictionary as a peasants' cloak in Sardinia.^[11] Fagiuoli named la sarda mastruca beside the Greek gabbano in his Rime.^[12]

The modern dictionaries describe it as the sleeveless sheepskin or goatskin jacket, reaching almost to the knee, of Sardinian shepherds.^[5][3][10] Sabatini–Coletti notes that shepherds once wore it more widely, but today only in Sardinia.^[6]

Timeline

• 1483 – First date Zingarelli gives for mastruca.^[4]
• Before 1585 – Garzoni uses the word.^[2][5]
• 17th century – Oudin records the variant mastrucca.^[2][11]

Meanings

Noun

1. A sleeveless jacket of sheepskin, goatskin or ram's fleece, worn with the fleece outside and reaching almost to the knee, typical of Sardinian shepherds.^{[5][3][10][9]}
2. (historical) The fur garment of the ancient Sardinians.^[12][11]

Related words

• Latin mastruca

Usage notes

Prati notes that the shepherds of southern Sardinia now call a goatskin or sheepskin garment bestipeddi.^[11]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2387
3. ^ a b c d 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 Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
5. ^ a b c d e De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
6. ^ a b Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
7. ^ a b Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ a b c d Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
9. ^ a b Wikizionario (Italian Wiktionary), it.wiktionary.org
10. ^ a b c Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
11. ^ a b c d Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti, p. 644
12. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET