mostacciolo

Forms

mostacciolo m (plural mostaccioli)^[1] Old forms include mostaciueli, mostazzoli, mostazzuoli and mostacciuoli.^[2] The literary form is mostacciuolo.^[3][4]

Etymology

It is from Latin mustāceus (“cake made with must”) with the diminutive suffix -olo.^{[5][6][4][7][8]} The Latin word named a cake made with mustum (“must”) and baked on laurel leaves, and was formed from it with the suffix -āceus.^{[9][1][10][11]} DELI puts the word under mosto, and the TLIO derives it from the Italian word.^[2][12]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is a southern cookbook of the 14th or 15th century, with the form mostazoli, for a biscuit made with cooked must.^[12][7]

Semantic evolution

DELI records mostaciueli in the 15th century, mostazzoli in Messisbugo before 1548, mostazzuoli in Citolini in 1561, and mostacciuoli in Caro before 1566.^[2] DELI describes a sweet of flour kneaded with honey or cooked must, raisins, dried figs and chopped almonds.^[2] It became a Christmas sweet of many regions, usually diamond-shaped and often glazed or covered in chocolate.^[5][10][4]

From its shape the word came to mean a lozenge or diamond pattern: Manzoni writes of a wood planted a mostacciolo.^[4] In the 20th century it also named a rubber or metal guard fitted to a car's bumper.^[5][4]

Timeline

• 14th–15th century – Mostazoli appears in a southern cookbook.^[12]
• 15th century – Mostaciueli is recorded.^[2]
• Before 1548 – Messisbugo uses mostazzoli.^[2][5]
• 1561 – Citolini uses mostazzuoli.^[2]
• Before 1566 – Caro uses mostacciuoli.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (cooking) A traditional Christmas sweet of many Italian regions, usually diamond-shaped, made with flour and must or honey, raisins, candied fruit, dried figs and ground almonds, often covered in chocolate or icing.^{[5][10][13][4][1]}
2. (by extension, dated) A lozenge or diamond shape: alberi disposti a mostacciolo.^[5][4]
3. (motoring, popular) A hard rubber or metal guard on a vehicle's bumper.^[5][6][4]

Related words

• mosto
• Latin mustum

Usage notes

Zingarelli lists mostacciuolo also as a diminutive of mostaccio “face”, a word of another origin.^[13]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
5. ^ a b c d e f g 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 Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
8. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier, p. 289
9. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
10. ^ a b c Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
11. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
12. ^ a b c Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
13. ^ a b Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli