mozzetta

Forms

mozzetta f (plural mozzette)^[1]

Etymology

DELI, Nocentini and GRADIT derive it from Italian mozzo + -etta, from the adjective meaning cut short: a short cape, a cut-off garment.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

Treccani, Sabatini–Coletti and the GDLI take it instead from Medieval Latin almucia, the source of almuzia, with the diminutive suffix.^[7][8][9] DEI goes through an earlier Italian almozzetta and compares Spanish muceta.^[10] GRADIT calls the Medieval Latin word perhaps Iberian, and the GDLI perhaps Arabic.^[4][9] Wiktionary gives both explanations.^[1]

The adjective mozzo continues Vulgar Latin *mutius, which took the place of Latin mutilus (“mutilated, cut short”).^[2][11] De Vaan finds no etymology for the Latin word.^[12]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is in Vasari in 1550, for the short cape with a small hood worn by churchmen.^[2][4][13]

Semantic evolution

Pallavicino speaks of la cappa breve o mozza, the short or cut-off cope, and says that is why it is commonly called mozzetta.^[9] GRADIT and Treccani date the garment itself to the late Middle Ages or the 15th century.^[4][7] According to the GDLI it was first part of a pilgrim's dress and later became a mark of rank, shown by its colour and material;^[9][14] Segneri describes a saint appearing in abito di piacevole pellegrino, col bordone in mano, e colla mozzetta alle spalle (“dressed as a pleasant pilgrim, staff in hand and a mozzetta on his shoulders”).^[9][14] Treccani notes that it marks jurisdiction, so that avere la mozzetta meant to hold the matching rank among prelates.^[7]

Italian lent the word to French as mossette (1653) and to English, where mozet is recorded in 1605;^[15][10] German has Mozzetta.^[15][10] English also has mosette from French.^[15][1]

Timeline

• 1550 – Vasari uses mozzetta.^[2][15]
• 1605 – English mozet is recorded.^[15]
• 1653 – French mossette is recorded in Oudin.^[15][10]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Church) A mozzetta: a short cape reaching to the elbows, buttoned in front and often with a small hood, worn by the pope and cardinals in red, by bishops in violet and by some prelates in black: Il vescovo entrò in chiesa con la mozzetta viola.^{[4][16][5][7]}

Related words

• mozzo
• almuzia
• mozzare

Usage notes

Mozzetta rossa is the pope's and the cardinals’, mozzetta viola the bishops’.^[13][4] In building, the GDLI records mozzette as planks shorter than twelve palms, from mozzo “cut short”.^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
3. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ a b c d e f De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
5. ^ a b Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
6. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier, p. 289
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. ^ Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
9. ^ a b c d e f Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
10. ^ a b c d Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2522
11. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
12. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
13. ^ a b Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
14. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
15. ^ a b c d e f Stammerjohann, Harro, et al. (2008), Dizionario di italianismi in francese, inglese, tedesco, Firenze: Accademia della Crusca; online at difit.italianisticaonline.it
16. ^ Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier